The Peril Within
by Sunkissed Sapphire
Summary: An unearthly storm. A boy with no home. An enemy targeting children for their creative minds. Meanwhile Ami finds now is the time to decide what she wants in her life and must reconcile those choices with being a senshi. Shoujo-ai. Mako/Ami, Minako/Rei.
1. Chapter 1: Eyes in the Storm

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon doesn't belong to me. Ah well, what is one to do?

**The Peril Within **by Sunkissed Sapphire

Chapter 1: Eyes in the Storm

The rain still hadn't stopped. Five days of relentless, pounding rain. The ground was swollen. Branches drooped low from the trees, sagging with the weight of it. The streets were torrents of water, a rushing deluge of leaves, trash, and general city debris. The rain flew in all directions, even upward, defying gravity. It seeped through windows and under doorways. The wind lashed against windows that creaked in protest.

And then there was the lightning. It began three days into the storm and wasn't your typical lightning which was usually loud and bright, brief and instantaneous. No, this lightning was a menacing black light that spread slowly through the darkened sky like cracks in ice. Accompanying it was continuous crackling and low electrical hum, a deadly noise. But it stayed in the sky. Not one strike was to be seen hitting trees, power lines, or the tallest of Tokyo's buildings. It was indeed a very strange storm.

Ami turned away from the window she'd been gazing out. She had an hour before she'd have to meet her fellow senshi to discuss the storm but for the moment there was a more pressing matter for her to attend. Dozens of brochures from colleges and universities were sorted into neat, even piles across her desk and her computer screen displayed an open spreadsheet. She had been receiving pamphlets from hundreds of universities from Japan and abroad. Most of them were an easy decision into the trashcan, but that had still left her with one hundred. She was able to reduce it to fifty by inputting them into the spreadsheet where she could sort and rank each one by international ranking, distance from home, available programs, expense, and population. But here she was stuck, unable to narrow it any further, no matter how long she stared at the computer screen.

Most of the problem lay in that Ami couldn't make the difficult choices before her that would be necessary to move on. What kind of doctor did she want to be, exactly? And how far from home was she willing to go? If getting the best education meant studying abroad, could she abandon her friends and her duty to do so? She had always dreamt of attending Jikei-e Medical School where her mother had graduated, which would eliminate the dilemma of leaving, but this was a big decision and she needed to weigh her choices rather than rushing into one. And she couldn't pin all her chances on one school. A heavy sigh escaped her lips and she pushed herself away from the desk again. She would have to worry about it later.

After donning any and all clothing that might possibly keep her dry, Ami made her way out into the storm. Unfortunately the rain, on top of forcing the schools and most businesses closed, had also shut down the buses. But the meeting was necessary. At Rei's insistence it was to be at the shrine, the furthest from Ami's house, but also the only one with a sacred fire. Hard to argue with that. At least she wouldn't have to walk the whole way by herself. She planned on stopping at Makoto's first so the two of them could brave the storm together.

Ami's attempts to stay dry were hopeless, it turned out, as she stood dripping all over Makoto's doormat. But she was surprised when an equally wet Makoto answered the door.

"Goodness, is it raining inside your apartment?" Makoto looked a little sheepish as she grinned at the smaller girl, holding the door open for her. She handed Ami a towel and began to mop herself up as well.

"It may as well be. The rain's been getting through the seal around my porch door so I've been rolling towels at the bottom. I was just replacing the wet ones and ringing them out in the tub but I slipped and turned the shower on." She chuckled and stopped trying to dry herself off. "Guess there is no chance staying dry out there though. You look like you swam here."

Ami smiled, handing back her towel. "I may as well have. I suppose we ought to get going to Rei's then. This isn't likely to let up anytime soon and there is no sense in delaying the inevitable."

"You're right there. This meeting had damn sure better tell us something about this freak storm with all the effort we're going through." And with that the two of them went back into the fray. It was as though the rain swallowed them up. It was falling so thick they couldn't see more than ten feet in front of them. It obscured the light from windows and streetlights and made it so dark even daylight seemed remote. The only thing they could hear was the pounding rain, howling wind, and the sinister crackling from the lightning above. It was an eerie feeling, as though the rest of the world had simply stopped existing and only the two of them were left.

Makoto bent close to Ami's ear, close enough for her to feel the tickle of her breath, at the same time grabbing her hand. "So we don't lose each other!" Makoto seemed to be yelling but Ami could only hear the faint sound of her words. "This is crazy!"

Ami squeezed her hand to show she agreed and kept trudging. It was indeed crazy, but it sure had its perks. Ami didn't mind the rain in and of itself, but the storm as a whole was unsettling, and it was nice having something strong and sound to hold onto in the chaos surrounding them. It made her feel better. Safer. Ami's mind lingered on the feel of Makoto's warm hand wrapped around hers as they walked the rest of the way to the shrine.

...

Rei shifted her weight from one foot to the other under the cover of the shrine's porch while she watched for her friends through the rain. The storm made her uneasy. Not just because of the ferocity and unearthliness, but because of the deep sense of foreboding lodged within her that she associated with the storm. It signaled the beginnings of something much bigger. Rei wasn't sure what, but it was something different than the usual evil. She couldn't even sense any evil at this point, but there was no doubt it was coming.

Her eyes tried to pierce the gray curtain of water that hung in front of her. Usagi would of course be late, but Ami and Makoto should be around soon. Minako was already there, but that was less due to punctuality than to the fact that she had been there when the storm started, and with school cancelled and the buses down, hadn't seen any particular reason to go home just yet. Not when she could have so much more fun here.

At that moment Minako came out to join her, her arms wrapping around Rei's chest and her chin resting on her shoulder. "You'll catch a cold, you know, if you keep waiting out here. And then what fun would that be? Of course, I could summon up Nurse Minako to take care of you."

Rei unfolded Minako's arms and turned around. "I don't think so. I've had enough Nurse Minako to last me a lifetime. I haven't forgotten that porridge episode."

Minako feigned a hurt expression. "My porridge has greatly improved, thank you. But you won't even give me a chance." Then an impish smile. "Maybe I'll just have to take the initiative." Her voice was husky as she closed the distance between them. "There might be enough time for Nurse Minako to show you just how well she can take care of you."

"Minako! They could be here any minute." Rei turned a blushing face around, scanning for anyone creeping up to them through the rain. When she saw no one she relaxed a little and turned to see Minako doubled over with laughter. "You are so twitchy! I love that about you." She looked as though she was about to kiss Rei, but her eyes narrowed at something behind her. Rei spun around again and sure enough she could just make out the forms of Makoto and Ami bent against the rain, walking steadily toward the shrine with hands clasped.

"Geez, you guys are soaked!" Rei pulled the both of them under the porch.

"Well, what did you expect? Tokyo, or maybe even all of Japan decided it would rather be underwater."

From all appearances, the walk over had put Makoto into a sour mood but Rei brushed it off. "And that's why we're here. I have a couple of spare dogis if you two would like to lay your clothes out in front of the fire.

"Thank you Rei," said Ami gratefully as she tried going inside without dripping too much water on the floor.

"No problem, just go into my room, they're laying out with some towels. Don't worry about the water. You too Mako-chan."

"Thanks Rei. Minako, you sure look dry. When did you get here?" Rei froze, waiting to see what Minako would tell them. But if Makoto noticed this, she didn't say anything.

"Oh, I've been here a few days. They stopped running buses while I was here and I didn't exactly want to walk home in this."

"Really? I think I'd go mad, cooped up here with Rei for that long." Makoto grinned at Rei who harrumphed at her.

"You'd be surprised. I've found plenty to keep me occupied." Rei cringed, waiting for the questions to come. She just wasn't quite ready for everyone to know but everyday they all seemed closer and closer to finding out.

Makoto searched Minako's face for some sort of sign of what she'd been up to, but Minako just smiled back at her. "If you say so." Makoto shrugged and walked inside to find Ami already laying out her clothes in the fire room. By the time Makoto had changed and made it back there was a very drenched, very dirty, and very upset Usagi on the porch.

"Odango, you are filthy! Why on earth are you covered in slime?" Rei was pressed against the wall, as far from Usagi as she could get.

"I tripped and fell into the street right into a huge gooey pile caught in the drain," she whined. "It was so gross. Do you have clothes I can change into? I'm all wet and smell funny."

"Yes, but you're going to have to change out here and leave your clothes outside. Let me go get something for you." Usagi was so thankful she didn't even comment about having to change outside.

Five minutes later they were all assembled in the fire room. All of them but Minako were wearing the red and white uniform of a shrine maiden. Ami looked around, sensing something out of place. "Where are Luna and Artemis?"

"Well, I left Artemis when I came over a few days ago. Last time I talked to him he was quite enjoying his uninterrupted catnaps. But he knows we're having a meeting and I'll catch him up later."

"Yeah, Luna couldn't decide if she should come or not, so I told her to stay. I know I didn't want to be out in this, so I really couldn't expect her to. And it's so scary out there. I hate thunderstorms." Usagi looked miserable. Her long hair was still wet and she had mud streaked over one eye. "Why couldn't we have waited till the storm stopped?"

"Because it isn't a normal storm. It isn't natural. What if it didn't stop?" Rei was feeling irritable, but then again at least she didn't have to walk in it. While she was glad the storm had given her and Minako an excuse for spending so much time together, it was also bad for the shrine's business. That and her fire readings were setting her on edge.

"Not stop! That would be terrible!"

"It is true that no one can explain the storm," Ami said. "Meteorologically speaking, it makes no sense. Aside from the strange lightning, a storm of this magnitude shouldn't maintain its strength for this amount of time. The duration defies any rational or logical explanation."

"So could it have something to do with a new enemy? Have you seen anything in your fire readings Rei?" Makoto asked.

"I haven't seen anything, but I am sensing something. It's a little confusing. I don't sense any sort of malice or even intention behind the storm. But it is connected to someone or something that is making it happen." The fire crackled and popped in front of them.

"An enemy," Makoto stated. She had been lounging across the wooden floor but was now sitting up, focused and alert.

"Maybe, maybe not," said Minako. "Rei said it didn't feel like someone was doing it on purpose, and certainly not for evil."

Makoto scoffed. "Not on purpose? You think it's an accident?"

"Not exactly an accident. It just feels…like they don't realize what they are doing. And it's out of control." Rei stared into the flames as though they might give her just a little bit more.

"Which makes it potentially more dangerous." Minako looked at them seriously. "We all need to be on our guard for anything suspicious. I mean, besides this rain. I say if it doesn't let up by tomorrow we need to start searching the city. Rei, do you think you can push your fire readings, maybe get a general area where this is originating?"

"It's possible. I haven't been able to get much, but I was focused more on the cause than a point of origin."

"Well let's give it a try. You should too, Ami, with your computer. With the two of you working on it we should be able to get something by tomorrow." Ami nodded at Minako. "So we'll contact each other tomorrow and work out a plan once we know a little bit more. How does that sound Usagi?"

"What?" No one had noticed that Usagi had slid away from the circle and was now turned toward the wall. "Oh, that sounds good."

"Usagi, what are you doing?" Rei moved menacingly toward her as Usagi turned around while simultaneously trying to shove something underneath her without anyone noticing. "That isn't one of my manga, is it?"

"No," Usagi said in a small voice.

"Usagi!"

"Ouch. Rei, you're so mean." Rei pushed her over and retrieved the comic book. "You never let me read your manga."

"Usagi, how did you even manage to get this out of my room? If you got any mud on it-"

"Right," cut in Makoto. "So are we all decided about tomorrow then? Guess that makes the end of the meeting."

"What? The meeting is over all ready? I don't want to go back out there." Usagi glanced anxiously toward the door.

"Well you aren't staying here." A thoroughly irritated Rei was combing her manga for any dirt whatsoever.

"Oh, that's a great idea! Can I please Rei? I won't touch your manga anymore without asking. Don't make me go back out there." Usagi turned her puppy face to Rei, eyes big and bottom lip quivering.

"No." Rei's tone was final but she was avoiding Usagi's eyes.

"Please Rei? It will only be for one night, I'll leave after we do our search tomorrow. You let Minako stay here this whole time."

Minako slung her arm around Usagi's shoulders. "Don't worry Usagi-chan, I'm sure Rei wouldn't mind letting you stay." She winked at Rei.

"Oh, all right. But just one night. And you will have to keep yourself occupied if I'm going to be doing fire-readings." She thought about that and gave a defeated sigh. "I guess you can read some of my manga. But you have to get all that mud off you first." She sounded grumpy, but when Usagi scampered off to wash up Rei couldn't help but smile.

"Ami? Mako? How about you two, do you want to stay tonight? We can make it an all out sleepover."

"Oh, thank you Rei. But there is a chance my mom might be able to make it home from the hospital tonight and I want to be there. She hasn't been home since all this started. I think I'll go change back now. Thanks again for letting me wear this."

"No problem, really. Mako-chan?"

"Thanks for the invite but I have to make sure my apartment doesn't turn into a swamp. It hasn't been faring very well against this storm."

"Alright then. Guess it's just me with these two." She jerked her thumb toward the two blonds who were now huddled in the corner, giggling secretively.

A few minutes later Ami and Makoto were standing on the porch getting ready to leave. The others had come out to see them off. Usagi shivered at the sight of the drenching rain.

Makoto was also eyeing the storm warily. "Ugh. I was hoping it would have let up a little. No such luck." She shrugged and began walking toward the steps.

"Wait." Rei looked torn about something but then stepped forward. "Before you leave, there is something else I wanted to mention." She looked around seriously at the group. "I get the sense that this storm represents the beginning of something more sinister. I don't really sense any kind of evil presence yet, but I'm sure something is coming. We just need to be careful and keep our eyes out." The girls all nodded in agreement and silence fell over the group.

"Well that's enough seriousness for tonight. Don't you two drown out there," said Minako as she hugged them in turn.

"We won't." Ami smiled. "It's just a bit of rain. Right Mako-chan?"

"Hmpf." Makoto looked slightly less than enthusiastic to be going back into the storm.

"It is just water Mako-chan, dihydrogen oxide in a liquid state that has condensed to a sufficient density to come down from the atmosphere as rain. It can't harm you in and of itself."

"I don't know. Anything that sounds that scientific can't be good for me. Well, let's do this. Bye you guys! With a wink at Rei she added, "Don't have too much fun." Rei just rolled her eyes. Then Makoto clasped Ami's hand once more and stepped into the downpour. Minako's eyes followed them for a moment and then she turned to Rei, her eyebrows arched in a knowing sort of way. Rei shook her head and walked inside.

...

Makoto tried to ignore the unpleasant sloshing of water in her shoes and the way the rain plastered her bangs to her face. She felt soggy and dirty and all around miserable. She glanced over to see how Ami was faring and was surprised to see that the smaller girl seemed utterly unfazed by the rain coming down in buckets around their ears, though she did seem lost in thought. _Fine for her, she's in her element. But then again, I'll admit this lightning kinda gives me the heebie jeebies. _She looked up again at the black, crackling lightning still spreading slowly across the sky.

Makoto and Ami crossed another street, the water surging up over their shoes, the current tugging at their ankles. Makoto wouldn't have been surprised if one of them fell and the water simply swept them away. She couldn't wait to be warm and dry inside again and cringed at the thought of Ami having to walk the rest of the way home alone in this storm. Maybe once they got to Makoto's apartment she would offer to walk with her and then back to her place on her own. Makoto wouldn't admit how protective she was of the girl, but she didn't like Ami walking by herself, especially in something like this.

After a little while they reached a street corner that opened into a small park. Makoto half-considered cutting through but decided against it when she saw water pooling in the grass. But a tug on her hand made her stop anyway. She turned around to see Ami pointing at the park. Makoto leaned in close to her and yelled, "The ground is soaked. We'd be up to our knees in mud. Let's keep going this way."

"No, I think I see someone." Makoto felt the hair rise on her neck. She clenched her fist around her henshin pen and prepared to summon the power of Jupiter when Ami spoke again. "I think it is a child." Ami's eyes were fixed on a small playground halfway through the park. Makoto followed her gaze but couldn't see anything.

Makoto relaxed a fraction. "Do you want to check it out?"

"I think we should." Ami began leading them into the park. The ground was indeed saturated but not as bad as Makoto had feared. The springy grass kept them from sinking in the mud, even if it did gush water into their shoes. They made their way underneath the drooping cherry trees toward the little playground.

It stood before them like a covered fort on stilts, a conglomeration of bars and platforms at various heights with slides, poles, and nets. The normally bright colors were muted in the eerie darkness. Off to the side the swings moved back and forth with the occasional gust of wind. Water poured out of an enclosed plastic slide, spraying sand and water in all directions.

Makoto still didn't see anyone but followed Ami's lead as she crouched under the slide and slipped under the construction. The sound of the rain died as the metal flooring and plastic roof above them directed water away, creating a little pocket where the storm may not have even existed.

Makoto dropped to her hands and knees as the floor above them sloped downward, the gritty sand sticking to her wet clothes. Suddenly something very cold and slimy was tracing the bare skin of her neck. She yelped and flung herself sideways, her eyes penetrating the closing darkness for whatever was there. Then another drop of water hit her in the face and she realized she was stopped underneath a seam in the construction.

_Just water._ She took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart. The storm, the deserted playground, the idea that someone was there just out of sight; it was unnerving to say the least. She shook her head, trying to dispel the adrenaline and tension mounting in her body. She glanced over at Ami to see how she was doing and instead found herself face to face with a pair of wide, dark eyes staring at her.

She yelped again, falling backward this time. When she sat up she still saw the eyes but now could also see the small boy they belonged to. He was tucked into the corner, sitting with his knees drawn to his chin and his arms wrapped around himself.

Ami was already moving toward him, approaching him slowly and kneeling down next to him. "Hey there, are you okay? My name is Ami. What is your name?" The boy shook his head.

He was young, no more than four or five years old. Makoto could see that he was soaked through and through, his clothes caked in dirt and sand. There were tear tracks in the grime on his face though his eyes were clear. He was shivering and he looked pale, maybe even feverish. She wouldn't hazard a guess as to how long he'd been out there.

"Can you tell us how you got here," she asked him. He looked up through the platform they were beneath, shaking his head again. Makoto wondered if he could even understand them. She made to ask him again but Ami started first.

"That's okay." Ami smiled at him again and brushed his damp blue hair away from his eyes. "Why are you out here in this storm?"

"I have nowhere to go." His voice was small but clear and matter-of-fact. It took the both of them by surprise.

"Where's your mom and dad?"

The boy looked at Makoto quizzically. "Mom and dad?" He shook his head again. Makoto's hands involuntarily contracted into fists. Someone had abandoned this poor boy in the middle of the worst storm in history. If she ever found out who they were she would—

"If you come with us we can take you somewhere dry and warm. We might even be able to get you something to eat. Would you like that?" Ami's voice was calm and soothing but Makoto could detect the note of urgency. The boy nodded, loosening his arms. "Alright then, here you go. It isn't very far of a walk." She held out her hand. "It will be okay, I promise. Just stay close to me." Ami and Makoto crawled back into the thunderous rain, the little boy clutching onto Ami's hand with both of his.

Fifteen minutes later Makoto was turning the key in her lock and letting them all into her apartment. She struggled with the laces on her shoes before just yanking them off and peeling away her wet socks. "I'll get us all some towels."

Ami dealt with her own shoes and turned to the little boy to help him with his. "Will you tell me your name now?"

"I don't have one Ami-san." He had the same even, matter-of-fact tone and was looking at Ami with solemn dark gray eyes that seemed older than his five years. Makoto came back in and handed them both towels.

"Thank you Mako-chan." She took the towels and handed one to the boy, smiling. "That's okay. But we have to call you something! How about Kiriko, does that sound good?" The boy nodded and smiled as he wrapped himself in the towel. He was still shivering. "Okay Kiriko-kun. Now let's get you into some dry clothes and something hot to eat."

"Here Kiriko," Makoto handed him a t-shirt "You can change in my room." Makoto pointed him to her bedroom. Kiriko hesitated and looked at Ami.

"It's okay Kiriko, you can go change in there," Ami reassured him. "You'll feel better when you do."

Makoto led him to her bedroom before going to the kitchen and making soup for them all. "Are you sure you want to go home tonight Ami?" It might be better if you stay here." She'd brought the water to boil and was searching her cabinets and fridge for various ingredients. "He likes you."

Ami sat at the table, looking over the counter that separated them. "I agree it may be better. I'll call my mother and let her know where I am. She won't be happy that I went out in this, but there isn't anything we can do about that. I'm worried about him Mako-chan. I'm sure he is hypothermic and I'll bet he has a fever too. I think we can handle it okay, but where are his parents? Why was he out there in the first place?" She fell quiet as Kiriko came back into the room, swimming in the t-shirt Makoto gave him.

"Are you feeling better?" He nodded at Ami and walked over to the table, climbing up into one of the chairs. "Well that's good. Makoto, can I use your phone?"

Makoto nodded and came around carrying a crock of soup and three bowls. "Here you go kiddo. Be careful, okay, it's hot. In fact, why don't I put an ice cube in yours?"

All three of them were quiet while they ate except for one small coughing fit from little Kiriko. Ami told them that her mom was glad Ami was staying rather than venturing out into the storm again and that she wouldn't have been coming home anyway. After they finished eating she grabbed her minicomputer.

"What is that?" Kiriko asked, eyeing the small device.

"It is a type of computer. I'm going to scan you with it and make sure you are healthy, if that is okay." He nodded in his small little way, just one of the many things that made Ami worry about him. Someone his age should be a little more rambunctious. Ami had him stand up as she began scanning him head to toe. She frowned slightly at the results she was getting but managed a smile when she saw Kiriko watching her.

"Okay, all done. Everything looks good but I'm going to give you a little medicine so that you don't get sick from being out in the rain all day, okay?"

A little later Makoto laid out some blankets and a pillow on the couch for Kiriko. "Would you like me to leave the light on for you?" she asked him after he'd snuggled in.

"No. But will Ami stay with me until I fall asleep?"

"Of course Kiriko-kun." She walked over to him and tucked him in tighter.

Makoto had retreated to the kitchen and was watching them, unsure what to think. She was struck by the tenderness with which Ami was now brushing the kid's hair out of his eyes and feeling his forehead. This was a side of Ami she had never seen before. Sure, Ami had always been friendly with kids, but where did all this come from? Somehow Makoto had never pictured Ami as the type to marry and settle down with kids. The idea struck her as odd, foreign, and it didn't sit well with her.

Ami settled into a chair, listening to Kiriko's breathing. He had watched her for a minute or two with slitted eyes, but he eventually closed them and began drifting off. After time his breathing slowed and evened out and Ami found herself relaxing with it. Every great once in a while he would lapse into a coughing fit, though it didn't seem to wake him.

When she was sure he was good and asleep, Ami got up quietly and walked over to Makoto. "Let's talk in your room," she whispered. Makoto nodded and led the way. Once the door was shut Makoto turned to her.

"Well?"

"He's asleep, which is good."

"How about your scan?" Makoto sat on her bed against the wall and motioned Ami to do the same.

"More or less what I expected. He's five years old, though small for his age. He is 105 cm tall and 17 kg. His temperature is high from a fever, but I'm pretty sure he was also a touch hypothermic. I think we've dealt with that well enough but the fever worries me a little. He didn't seem to have much energy and didn't really act like a normal five year old. But maybe it is just his personality. Despite it all he is lucid and well spoken. I have the feeling he is a very intelligent little boy.

"Hmm. So he'll be okay?"

"I think so." Ami couldn't quite read the look on Makoto's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing really. I'm glad he'll be all right. I can't believe someone would just abandon him." Makoto clenched her fists again briefly.

Ami looked out the window thoughtfully. "I don't know that anyone did. He may just be alone."

"Someone had to have abandoned him at some point. Kids don't just pop out of the ground."

Ami smiled. "No. But he kind of reminds me of Chibi-usa a little. Just showing up with no explanation of where she came from or who her parents were."

"You don't think he's from this timeline, or not from Earth?" Makoto seemed to consider it.

"I don't know. Nothing in my scan looked out of the ordinary, but then again it was just a basic scan so I could see how sick he was. It could also just be the fever. Tomorrow he may be able to tell us more." Concern flitted across Ami's face as she strained to hear Kiriko who had started coughing again.

"Yeah, maybe. You seem to care about him a lot. Where did the parental drive come from?" She was looking intensely at Ami, trying to figure out what else could be hiding behind her bookish exterior.

"Oh, I don't know about 'parental'. I've just been trying to take care of a sick little boy. I'm sorry him being here is a bit of an inconvenience. I am glad we found him though. He may not have lasted till morning." She stifled a yawn.

"I'm glad too. He seems to be all alone, and we're all he's got right now." The two of them lapsed into silence and all that could be heard was the rain beating softly against the window. After a moment Makoto felt pressure against her side and looked down to see that the bluenette had fallen asleep and slid from where she was sitting, her head coming to rest on the taller girl's shoulder. Makoto chuckled to herself, thinking her friend must truly be exhausted. She gently nudged her awake, laughing aloud at the way Ami jumped up, blushing.

"Guess it's late, huh? We should let everyone know about Kiriko tomorrow, but for now I say we should get some sleep.

"H—Hai Mako-chan." Ami couldn't believe she let herself be so clumsy, falling asleep on Makoto's shoulder. How embarrassing. "Do you have some extra blankets I can throw on the floor?"

"Actually, if it doesn't bother you, I thought you could just share the bed with me. It would be comfier than lying on the floor, and I don't know about you, but I already feel like I took a beating today.

Ami knew she wouldn't be able to sleep while sharing a bed with Makoto, certainly not after what just happened, but she couldn't think of a logical argument against it that wouldn't give her true feelings away. So she agreed and climbed into the bed again while Makoto turned off the lights.

"It's nice seeing this caring side of you, Ami-chan. I didn't know you could be so affectionate. It feels like there is so much of you we don't get to see. You should let it out every once in a while."

A knot caught in Ami's throat. _If only I could Mako-chan, I would show you just how affectionate I could be. But I can't. It has to stay locked up. It's safer that way._ She found her voice again. "I don't know Mako-chan. Like I said, I'm not sure where it came from. I don't think there is that much more to me."

"Oh, I doubt it." Makoto said into the darkness. "I know there is more to you than you let on, we just have to find some way to bring it out."


	2. Chapter 2: Towers and Pearls

A/N: There has been some concern that this story is a rewrite or perhaps isn't original. I haven't come across anything else that resembles this story, but I certainly haven't read everything out there. If it does happen to closely parallel someone else's work, I apologize, it wasn't my intention. Also, not that it matters much, but I did do a title search on to before choosing this title to make sure I wasn't encroaching on anyone's work in that respect and nothing came up. Anyway, here is chapter 2 for you all, I hope you enjoy. This is my first multichapter fic, so any comments and critiques are appreciated.

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon doesn't belong to me.

* * *

**The Peril Within** by Sunkissed Sapphire

Chapter 2: Towers and Pearls

The first thing Ami felt as her mind fought its way into consciousness was sunlight pressing in on her eyelids. But it was hitting her from the wrong angle. Come to think of it, this pillow wasn't the right density and the sheets felt strange against her. And what was that—who was in her bed! Her eyes flew open, blinded in the dazzling light of morning and she scooted away, catching herself as she nearly fell out of bed.

She straightened up and saw Makoto half sprawled across the bed on her stomach. The night before came rushing back to her: the storm, Kiriko, and Makoto suggesting they share the bed. _Kami, I didn't mean to fall asleep. I must have been more tired than I thought to have actually been able to sleep. _She leaned against the wall, her eyes traveling across Makoto's sleeping form. She noted the way her chestnut hair, freed from the constraints of the ever-present hair tie fell in waves across her back, rising and falling with her breathing. The sheets had been pulled out and were now bunched around her middle, leaving her feet exposed, her toes twitching sporadically as she began mumbling incoherently in her sleep.

Ami smiled as her feelings toward the girl fought their way to the surface and she lingered in their warmth. Then she remembered herself, tearing her gaze away angrily. Had she no self-control? Aside from spying on Makoto while she was sleeping, Ami couldn't let herself get wrapped up in these feelings; there was only heartbreak in them. Makoto didn't feel the same and probably never would, so there was no use for them. She had plenty of other things to worry about in her life than pining for someone she could never have. Besides, she was the shy, smart Mizuno Ami. Geniuses didn't have feelings like these.

She turned to leave the room, thinking she had better check on Kiriko. She didn't know how long he'd been out in the storm, but she was amazed he wasn't worse off than he was. Wait a minute…the storm! Ami rushed to the window, just now realizing that the sunlight streaming in was something she hadn't seen in five days.

"Mako-chan, it stopped raining!"

"Hmm?" Makoto rolled onto her side, rubbing her eyes. "Wait, what?" Ami's words caught up to her and she jumped up to stand next to Ami, staring at the brilliant world outside. The rain must have stopped sometime during the night. Not a cloud was to be seen and the morning sun was reflecting off of every surface, making the world almost painfully bright. The streets were still partly flooded, although cars were beginning to tentatively make their way through the water. Even the buses were starting to run.

"What time is it? Do we have school today? What is today, Tuesday?" Makoto looked around at her alarm clock and stopped her chaotic rush. It was just after six. "Why on earth are you up so early? Did you sleep okay?"

"I slept well Mako-chan, thanks." She chuckled. "Anyway, this isn't early. It's actually later than I usually get up. I've let myself get into bad habits while school has been out. I didn't even study yesterday."

Makoto stared at her, shaking her head. "Well I'll call the school. Do you want to check on Kiriko?" Ami nodded and followed her out of the room. She found Kiriko already awake, sitting cross-legged in front of the glass porch door where the sun washed over him. He looked much brighter today.

"How are you feeling, Kiriko-kun? Did you sleep okay?"

"I slept well. And I'm not coughing as much." He looked outside again. "It is pretty out. The sun is warm and it makes everything sparkle."

"It is very pretty. While I really like the rain, this storm was a bit too much, wasn't it? But the sun will dry it all out and pretty soon you won't even be able to tell we had so much rain. So we may as well sit here and enjoy how everything sparkles." Ami sat next to him, basking in the sunlight spilling into the room.

A moment later a shriek from the kitchen interrupted their reverie. "Yes! No school!" Makoto came into the living room, a triumphant look on her face. "Can you believe our luck? The school flooded and will be closed until next Monday while they clean it out and do some repairs. This is great! Another whole week of freedom."

"Oh no. I can't miss this much school." Ami looked crestfallen. "At least I'll still have cram school. I'm sure it isn't closed. Still, I guess the time might be nice. It gives us a little while to figure out what we're going to do."

"Ami-san, I'm hungry. Do you have more soup?"

Ami laughed softly. "You don't have to call me Ami-san, Ami is just fine. And I don't know about soup for breakfast, but I'm sure Mako-chan can make us a really yummy breakfast. Why don't you ask her?"

Kiriko jumped up and ran to Makoto, the t-shirt he was wearing flapping around his ankles. "Makoto-san, can you make Ami and me a yummy breakfast?" His eager face was tilted up to her, pleading.

Makoto couldn't help but laugh at him. "I guess you're feeling better, huh? I'm sure I can come up with something. But just call me Mako-chan, okay?"

"Hai Mako-chan. Thank you!" He ran back to Ami. "Mako-chan's going to make us breakfast!"

"That sounds wonderful. Before we eat though, may I take your temperature again? It looks like you are feeling much better but I want to make sure." And sure enough, when she read the thermometer a moment later it looked like everything was fine. He recuperated much faster than she anticipated. Maybe she had just overreacted.

"Well Kiriko, should we see if Mako-chan needs help with breakfast?" But it turned out Makoto was almost done anyway.

"You know Kiriko-chan," Makoto said, eyeing his t-shirt and his still grimy face. "I think after breakfast it will be a bath for you. You are filthy!" She placed a plate of food in front of him and they both started laughing.

"Yes, Mako-chan. Thank you for the breakfast."

"Anytime kiddo," and she brought out two more plates for her and Ami.

When they finished, Makoto let Ami do the dishes while she ran a bath, leaving Kiriko's freshly laundered clothes out for him. "Do you need any help or will you be alright?"

"I'll be okay Mako-chan."

"Alright then. Ami and I will be in the living room if you need us." She walked back to the kitchen and found Ami finished with dishes and on the phone.

"Hi Rei, are you guys having a good morning? Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was still so early." She mouthed an 'oops' at Makoto, trying not to laugh. "Did you see the rain stopped?"

Makoto couldn't resist taking the phone from Ami. "Yeah the rain stopped. We have to be at school this morning, is everyone ready?" She held the phone away from her and laughed as Rei could be heard cursing in the background, yelling at Minako and Usagi to get ready for school.

"Rei." She was still yelling. "Rei, I'm just pulling your leg. Our school is closed for the rest of the week because of flood damage. I don't know about T.A. though, you might want to call. Do you think you all can come over here once you are up and ready? Ami and I…found something last night. We should have a meeting." There was a pause. "Yeah, of course." Another pause. "Oh, okay. Wow, well we'll talk about it when you get here. Alright. See ya later."

Makoto hung up the phone, turning to Ami. "Rei's going to see if T.A. is closed for today. I bet it is. They probably need to get things cleaned up too. And the roads are still pretty flooded. But they'll be coming over in a bit. I guess Rei found out a little more in a fire reading, so if she doesn't have school she'll explain it all to us. Otherwise we're relying on Minako and Usagi to enlighten us." Makoto looked thoughtful for a moment, then suddenly excited. "I need to make another phone call, I'll be right back."

Ami was confused but didn't ask for an explanation. And it turned out she didn't need one. She had moved into the living room, so she couldn't hear what Makoto was saying. But she recognized the happy, hopeful tone of voice and the occasional giggle and remembered that before the storm started up Makoto had managed to get a phone number from a guy at the park who resembled her 'senpai' in some way or another.

Ami was a little annoyed but tried not to show it. After all, she should be happy that Makoto may have found someone who was interested in her. More than likely though, she thought, he was some jerk that wouldn't treat her right. Makoto had a knack for picking them out. It probably had something to do with always choosing guys that reminded her of her senpai who had been the biggest jerk of them all.

Makoto came into the room all smiles, meaning things must have gone well on the phone. "I thought I'd give Shiro a call, you remember that guy from the park? We're going to go out on Thursday since there is no school."

Ami smiled for her friend's sake. "It sounds like you guys will have a good time. Where are you going?"

"Oh, just out to lunch somewhere I think. Guess we'll see! We're going to meet at that park we were at, with the lake."

"Well that will be nice." Ami didn't know what else to say, but was saved by Kiriko coming into the room looking squeaky-clean. Where there was before a matted mess on his head there were now thick locks of wavy blue hair that hung down to his eyes and just past his ears. His pale face and small feet were now grime-free and his clothes actually had color distinguishable from the dirt.

"Much better," laughed Makoto.

...

Kiriko's forehead was scrunched in concentration as he surveyed the tower of blocks in front of him, trying to decide which one could be taken out without causing the whole thing to topple. He made his choice and tugged on the piece carefully. It slid out easily into his hand and he held his breath as he placed it gently on the top. When it didn't collapse he smiled at Ami. "It's your turn."

"Good job Kiriko, that was a hard move. I wonder which one I should do." Ami studied it a moment before quickly making her move. "There we go. Mako-chan?"

Makoto rubbed her hands together. "Alright, I am the Jenga master. Just you watch." She made a show of closing her eyes and inhaling deeply, as though she were divining the best piece to move. Then she opened her eyes and began sliding one of the pieces out. A sudden knock at the door startled them all and Makoto jerked her hand back, the corner of her piece just catching the edge of the tower and sending blocks flying in all directions.

Ami and Kiriko laughed at Makoto who stared open-mouthed at the devastation.

Kiriko took the piece from her limp hand. "Mako-chan, you did it again! Are you sure you're the master?" he asked her suspiciously.

"The master of what?" Minako's voice floated from the doorway where Usagi and Rei were standing behind her.

"Jenga. We've been playing with Kiriko," Ami answered, placing a hand on his shoulder. He had snuck up next to Ami when he noticed the newcomers and was peeking at them from behind her.

"Oh, he's so cute! Is he your cousin Ami? He looks just like you!" Usagi bent down toward him. "Hi Kiriko, my name is Usagi."

Kiriko glanced at Ami briefly before stepping out from behind her toward Usagi. "It's nice to meet you Usagi-san," he said quietly.

"He's adorable," she squeaked. "But you can just call me Usagi-chan. And this is Rei and Minako, they are my friends."

"I didn't know you had a cousin," said Minako.

"Actually I don't. I'll explain it all later. Kiriko, would you like to keep playing in Mako-chan's room? That way you don't have to stay here and listen to our boring meeting. You can keep practicing and build a really tall tower."

Kiriko nodded and began gathering the blocks. "Okay Ami. I'll try and build you a tower as tall as me!"

"That would be really neat." She smiled at him and then noticed that Makoto hadn't budged, her expression still one of shock. "Mako-chan, are you going to be okay?"

She nodded slowly then snapped out of it. "It wasn't my fault! It would have been okay if they didn't knock on the door and startle me!" She looked at them defiantly. "I am still the master. Last time didn't count either. No one has ever been able to beat me since my parents got this for me."

"Right," Rei said sarcastically. "Well, Master, I challenge you. We'll see how well you stand up to my Jenga prowess."

"Perhaps later?" interjected Ami. "Don't we have something a little more important to discuss? Besides, Kiriko just left with your game."

"Oh, right. Sorry Ami. Hey look, Luna and Artemis are here." Rei walked over to the back porch and let them in.

"Well I'm glad the rain stopped, or that would have been much worse." Luna gave a little shake and droplets of water cascaded from her fur. "Too bad the ground is still pretty wet."

Artemis likewise gave a shake and jumped on the couch. "So what is the big news?"

"Mako-chan said her and Ami found something last night, they haven't told us what yet."

"Well, you just met him. Well, not you two," said Makoto, looking at Luna and Artemis.

Makoto was met with a barrage of questions. "What? You found Kiriko in that storm? Where? How did he get there? Do his parents know?" When they calmed down Ami and Makoto began explaining. They retold their story of finding him in the park and how he couldn't answer any of their questions or even tell them his name, so they brought him back.

"So he basically said he had no home or parents? Do you think he was abandoned?"

"I thought so," said Makoto, answering Minako's question. "But Ami had a different idea."

Ami looked up at the mention of her name. "Oh, well I wouldn't say that. I mean, he may have been abandoned. I just mentioned that the circumstances seemed kind of similar to when Chibi-usa first showed up. She wouldn't tell us anything personal about herself either. Of course, the situations are certainly different. Kiriko didn't seem to even know what parents were, or his own name for that matter. But he didn't seem amnesiac. I think he knows some things but isn't letting on. And I don't know that we should press the matter if he isn't ready."

"I don't know." Artemis seemed to be thinking hard. "His appearance coincides pretty closely with that storm. They could be related."

"Well, as for the storm, I made slightly more headway as to its origin." Everyone's attention shifted to Rei and she continued. "I did another fire reading last night and was shown a glimpse of a comet hurtling past Earth."

"Oh!" interrupted Ami, a look of surprise on her face. "That must be Akatsuki Shichi-nen. It passes by the earth every seven years and can only be seen from here just before daybreak. It is my favorite comet but I didn't get to see it this time because the rain started the night before."

"Hmm. Well I don't know what the comet has to do with it, but it is unmistakably a factor. It doesn't really make sense though if the comet comes every seven years. It's not like we've ever seen a storm like this before." She shrugged. "Of course, my readings could be off."

"No, I don't think so." Ami shook her head. "There are just pieces of the puzzle that are missing. This could be the beginning of something much bigger, like you were saying yesterday. Or perhaps the comet interfered somehow with Earth's current weather patterns and now that it is gone the storm is over. I can start researching that."

"It sounds like we've done all we can with concern to the comet," piped up Luna. "But I think we need to decide what to do with Kiriko."

Makoto sat up from where she'd been lying on the floor. "We can't take him anywhere, not until we know whether or not he belongs here. We need to be able to keep an eye on him."

"Yeah, but who is going to take care of him? None of our parents are likely to just adopt him like they did Chibi-usa," put in Minako.

"Maybe Mamo-chan can take him? And I'll help him!" Usagi was suddenly very excited at the idea. She remembered the last time she and Mamoru took care of that baby when his mother was in the hospital and how it brought the two of them even closer together.

"I don't really think that is fair to Mamoru," said Rei. "He's in college and he'll be leaving for America soon. He's going to be really busy." Usagi pouted.

"We can do it." Ami's quiet voice floated from where she sat in the corner. "He can stay here at Mako-chan's, if you don't mind of course. You wouldn't have to do it alone though, I'll help."

"I—That might work." Makoto turned it over in her head. She had never taken care of a kid before, but if the others helped… They did need to keep an eye on him, after all.

"I'd bring him back to my house but my mother would ask questions. I just can't think of any other way to do it. But I'll help as much as I can, whenever Mom is at work."

"We all will," said Usagi, and the others nodded in agreement. "It'll be fun taking care of the little guy."

"What about when we're at school?" pointed Rei. "He's still too young, isn't he?"

"The daycare!" said Minako. "We'll tell them he's Ami's cousin. I don't think they'll ask too many questions since I work there. I can take him with me and introduce him to everyone later this week."

"Well I guess we got it all worked out then. He can stay here. I'll just clean up the second bedroom a little and he can sleep there. Although, I will need someone to babysit for me on Thursday."

"Why's that Mako-chan?" asked Usagi.

"Oh, nothing much, I just have a date." Makoto said it like it wasn't a big deal but both Minako and Usagi were next to her in an instant grilling her for the details.

"Oooh, is it that guy from the park last week? Where are you going?"

"He was cute. I knew you two would hit it off. What are you going to wear?" No one noticed Ami get up and walk back to the bedroom. No one except Rei.

Ami knocked softly on the door and let herself in. "Hi Kiriko-kun, how are you doing?" He was sitting in the middle of the floor in front of a large tower of blocks, larger than they'd been able to make while playing the game.

"Good, Ami-chan. I couldn't build a tower as tall as me. There weren't enough blocks and it kept falling over. I think this is the tallest I can get it without it falling. But it isn't the strongest. If I built it this way—" he began restacking some blocks "—It would be stronger and wouldn't fall over because of wind or if someone moved."

Ami sat down next to him. "You're right. That is the strongest tower you can build with these blocks. Even Mako-chan would have a hard time knocking it over, right?"

Kiriko laughed. "Yeah, we should show her this trick. Then she can be the master."

"Mm hmm. Now, you see how this shape here makes a rectangle?" Ami pointed at the space between the stacked blocks and Kiriko nodded. "Well you can't do it with these blocks, but a triangle is actually the strongest shape. Let me show you," and she pulled some playing cards from one of Makoto's shelves. She took a few out and stacked them as though building a house of cards. "You see, if we make a series of triangles like these, we can lay cards flat on top of them. We can even put weight on it and it holds, see? But if you try to do it with squares, like this—," She tried stacking a few of them in squares, managing to get them to stick in the carpet. But when she put more cards on top, they fell. "See, they collapse."

"Wow, that's a neat trick. Can I try?" Ami handed him the cards and watched him start stacking. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Rei standing in the doorway and motioned for her to come in.

"Hi Kiriko-chan, what's that you're making?" Rei came in and sat down near Ami.

"Hi—Rei?" She nodded. "I'm going to make a tower out of triangles because they are stronger, so I can make it taller."

"Wow, that's really neat. Will you show me?" Kiriko nodded and kept building onto his row of triangles, topping them with a layer of flat cards. When he started building on top of them the cards collapsed.

"Oops." He stared at the cards, trying to figure out what he did wrong.

"That's alright," Rei smiled. "The cards are slippery and sometimes fall. But if you keep practicing I bet you can build a really tall tower." She looked over at Ami. "You okay?"

"What? Oh, yes I'm fine." Rei didn't buy it. She knew Minako had her theories about what may be going on between Ami and Makoto, but if Ami's sudden retreat was to say anything, well Rei didn't think it had gone so far.

"Well, if you ever need to talk about anything, you know where to find me. I know you and Makoto usually confide in each other, but if there's anything, you know, you don't really want to talk to her about…" she trailed off, afraid she may have struck too close to home and made Ami uncomfortable.

Sure enough, a faint blush was starting to creep across Ami's features. "Thanks, Rei. I'll keep it in mind." She was avoiding her gaze.

"Well, I'm going to see if those three are done gushing and gabbing. We have a Jenga dispute to settle.

...

By the end of the week Kiriko had made three new friends and was starting to get to know Mamoru as well. After their discussion on Tuesday the group took him shopping for more clothes, pajamas, and sheets. Makoto didn't have a bed for him, but they picked up an air mattress that would work fine. Ami had to duck out early when her mom came home from work, but she gave them some money to take him to buy some books, toys, and games.

On Thursday while Makoto was on her date, Usagi, Minako, and Rei introduced Kiriko to the Crown and afterwards had ice-cream which is when Mamoru met up with them. Then on Friday Ami suggested they all go to a new interactive science museum where even Usagi had fun learning about space, dinosaurs, geology, and genetics. On Saturday Minako took Kiriko to the daycare where she worked part-time and introduced him to the staff, passing him off as a friend's cousin. Now it was Sunday and everyone was going to celebrate their last day of unexpected freedom with a picnic in the park. Even Mamoru was going to join them.

Makoto had spent a fair amount time this morning making all sorts of delectable treats for the picnic, and having finished earlier than she planned, she decided to surprise Ami with a visit before heading to the park together. That was her excuse anyway. To be honest, she was a little worried about her friend. She knew Ami was normally quiet and introverted, but lately she seemed even more withdrawn than usual.

Makoto closed the final gap to Ami's front door in a few paces and rang the doorbell. A few seconds later she thought she heard someone yell and heavy footsteps and then Ami opened the door wearing a white bathrobe and her hair sopping wet.

"Mako-chan! What are you doing here? Where is Kiriko?" Her eyes searched around for the little guy.

"I thought I'd drop by before going to the park. The others already nabbed Kiriko. They seemed to think he might interfere with my cooking, but I know it was just an excuse. They are almost as attached to him as you are." Makoto let the comment hang but Ami didn't say anything. "Anyway, were you in the middle of showering?

Ami looked down, realizing she'd been standing in the doorway (and in front of Makoto) this whole time in her bathrobe. "Oh goodness," she said, blushing and backing into the room. "Yes, I had a late start today. Come on in, I won't be long." Ami turned and walked back toward the bathroom. "Make yourself at home Mako-chan," she called back.

_Will do_, thought Makoto and she took the same hallway toward Ami's bedroom to wait for her. Out of all her friends, Ami's room had surprised her the most when she first saw it. Back then she had only known Ami as the studious genius and had expected the room to be, well, sterile: an environment conducive to her studies. But she'd been pleasantly surprised. The room was done in blue tones, with lush cobalt carpet and lighter blue walls. Deep curtains that matched the carpet hung in the windows, blocking most the sunlight. A backlit fish tank in the corner painted the walls and ceiling with the flowing motion of the water. A waterfall in the tank completed the calm, relaxing atmosphere with the constant sound of water.

Makoto walked over to the desk in the corner, which like the rest of the furniture was a deep mahogany. Like usual, it was covered in stacks of paper and books, but with a closer look Makoto realized they weren't schoolwork at all, but were in fact brochures and pamphlets from various universities. She stopped short when she realized most of them were from abroad: Germany, England, and at least half a dozen from America.

The thought of Ami leaving for college stunned her. Okay, so she hadn't really started planning for college, but she certainly never considered leaving. Wasn't her place here with Usagi and the rest of the senshi? Weren't all their places here? She mindlessly drifted over to the fish tank, staring at a frog swimming in endless circles.

Of course, she shouldn't be so surprised. After all, Ami had almost left before to study in Germany. She had her own dreams to follow, Makoto knew that. But they needed her. Makoto needed her; she was her best friend and confidant. She had never known friendship like she knew it with Ami.

She was interrupted from her thoughts by Ami's soft voice. "He was like that when I got him, poor guy. But he manages okay. I think he's happy in there, with all the plants and other fish."

"What?" asked Makoto, startled by the bluenette's sudden appearance.

"Oh, my frog. He only has three legs. That's why he swims like that. But he seems to get along alright." Ami smiled at the tank and dropped in little bit of food.

"I'm sure he's happy. He's got you taking care of him." Makoto didn't notice the little blush touching Ami's cheeks. "So you got a bit of a late start, huh? I thought six o'clock in the morning was your usual wake up time." Makoto couldn't help but poke fun at her.

"Oh, I was up on time. But I think you've probably noticed my current predicament." She waved her arm at the desk. "I've been spending a lot of time trying to figure out where to apply."

Makoto didn't really know what to say. "Yeah, those are some tough choices. I'm sure you'll get it figured out though. Well, are you ready to head out?"

Ami and Makoto arrived at the park to find Mamoru and Kiriko playing catch with a ball while the girls chatted away beneath some cherry blossom trees. Luna and Artemis both lounged lazily in the thick grass. As they walked up Mamoru kicked the ball a little too hard and they watched it soar right over Kiriko's outstretched arms toward the girls. Everyone cringed when it smacked an unsuspecting Usagi in the back of the head, sending her face first into the grass.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," she said as she picked herself up, determined not to cry in front of Mamoru.

"Usako!" Mamoru ran over to them. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

Usagi sniffled. "I'm okay Mamo-chan." Then her composure slipped and tears spilled out of her eyes. "No I'm not, that really hurt! Mamo-chan, make it better." She hugged onto a guilt-ridden Mamoru who looked unsure of what to do. He settled with patting her on the back and repeating his apology.

Kiriko ran up to them after retrieving the ball, a flower in his hand. "Gomenesai Usagi. I'm sorry I didn't catch the ball and it hit you. Will this make it better?" He pushed the flower into her hand and received a nod and a wink from Mamoru.

"It's beautiful, Kiriko. Thank you so much! And don't be sorry, it isn't your fault."

"Hey Usagi, I think I know what else might make you feel better." Makoto waved a cooler full of food in front of her. "I even brought cookies for dessert."

That definitely cheered her up. They all sat around munching on Makoto's delicious lunch, enjoying the sights and smells in the park. Just as Ami had predicted, all the rainwater had evaporated away and it was difficult to tell that the freak storm had even happened. After lunch Kiriko tugged on Ami's sleeve and asked if he could play on the swings.

"Sure, go ahead. But make sure you don't wander off, okay?"

"Okay," he smiled. "Thanks Ami!" He made a beeline for the swings and climbed up into one, rocking back and forth.

Meanwhile the rest of the group was breaking into teams for a full out game of kickball. Usagi gave the ball a wide berth to begin with but it wasn't long before she was wrapped up in the game and giving it her all. Of course, given Usagi's luck, she fell victim a second time when the ball flew right between her hands and hit her full on the face, hard enough to make her nose start bleeding.

"Owww. Why does this always happen to me," she wailed.

"Because you're a klutz, Odango," said Rei, though the look of concern on her face was genuine.

Ami had gone back under the trees and came back with gauze. It was a good thing she packed a first aid kit in Makoto's cooler before leaving her house. "Here Usagi, this will help stop the bleeding." After making sure Usagi was applying enough pressure she glanced back at the swings to check on Kiriko, but they were empty. Her blood ran cold as her eyes quickly swept the remainder of the park and saw no sign of him. "Hey guys, did you see where Kiriko went? He isn't on the swings anymore."

"What? He's gone?" Minako, like everyone else, stopped what they were doing and scanned the park. He was nowhere to be seen. As a group they walked toward the playground but as they got closer it became painfully obvious that Kiriko, with his bright blue wavy hair, was not among the children playing there.

"I know I saw him a minute ago when I grabbed the first aid kit. How could he have disappeared so fast?" Ami walked to the edge of the park and looked both ways down the street. They all followed her, except Mamoru who went to talk to some of the parents closer to the swings.

"We were only distracted for a minute or two, he can't have gone far." She turned to the rest of the group. "I think we should split up and look for him, it will be much more effective. Ami and I will go—" her words were drowned out by screams coming from behind a building across the street.

Moments later the senshi had all transformed and were running toward the screams. When they rounded the corner they stumbled onto a teenager intimidating a little girl. Or at least, that's what they thought until they noticed what looked like the girl's father crumpled on the ground a few meters away, not moving. The girl was crouched in a corner, trembling and in front of her stood a teenage boy with menacing orange eyes focused on his quarry. He had blue hair that stood from his head like flames and wore a black headband with strange symbols on it.

He hadn't noticed the senshi yet, but Jupiter stepped forward to change that, thinking that this punk had just distracted them from finding little Kiriko and was now going to pay the price. She opened her mouth to yell at him but stopped when he began to speak.

"Now, give it to me. _Hyah_!" Black lightning shot out of his hands, striking the girl cowering in front of him. Her body lifted into the air and hung there suspended. The senshi watched, afraid to act in case their attacks caused the girl to fall. The girl revolved slowly in the air, her head hanging limply. After a moment something small, round, and shiny emerged from the base of her neck, glinting silver in the sunlight. "Ha!" exclaimed the boy, and the girl crumpled to the ground. The round object floated toward his outstretched hand.

"I don't think so. _Sparkling Wide Pressure!_" Makoto sent her attack at him and he leapt aside to dodge it, dropping the round object he'd been after.

He looked shocked at suddenly finding himself surrounded by the sailor senshi. "Who are you?"

"How dare you ruin our perfect picnic in the park on our last day of freedom! And you interrupted our search for little Kiriko!" Sailor Moon stepped forward to challenge him. "We are the Sailor Senshi, soldiers of love and justice. In the name of the moon we will punish you!"

The boy laughed. "Right, well now that you have had your chance to introduce yourselves, allow me. I am Kadius, seeker of chaos and pandemonium, collector of the Shimmering Ethereal Pearls. I shall summon the Cauldron of Unknown and if you stand in my way I shall destroy you. Now, get out of my way. "_Black Wind!_" He opened his arms wide and swept them together, sending a powerful blast of wind that knocked the senshi to the ground. By time they picked themselves up he had snatched the ethereal pearl off the ground and disappeared down the street.

Jupiter, Mars, and Venus ran after him while Mercury and Sailor Moon approached the little girl who still lay crumpled on the ground, her body twitching. Mercury could feel something was out of place and flipped on her visor to study the girl's energy patterns but was too late. The girl rose into the air once more, convulsing. Then a bright flash. When Sailor Mercury and Sailor Moon could see again, it was to find the girl transformed into a youma.

It stood before them, looking like something that had crawled out from a swamp. Its skin oozed and dripped a black tar-like substance that coated it completely, and tentacles hung limp from its knees and elbows. It narrowed its red eyes at the two remaining senshi and opened its mouth. Sailor Moon and Mercury were barely able to dodge the black substance that spewed forth from its mouth, creating a sticky patch exactly where they had been standing.

"Eww!" Some of it had splattered onto Sailor Moon's fuku and it stuck to her fingers when she touched it.

"Sailor Moon, watch out!" She looked up and saw the monster bearing down on her. Then a wave of water cascaded toward it, knocking it off its feet.

But it was fast. Less than a second later it was back on its feet, shooting its tentacles forward and wrapping them around the senshi, choking them. Mercury fought the tentacles entangling themselves around her throat, clawing and scraping at them. But it was no use. The sticky substance oozing out of them crept slowly up her neck, into her mouth and nose, suffocating her. She sank to her knees and glanced at Sailor Moon who was also succumbing. Then darkness crept over her eyes. They were going to die.

The pain became a distant feeling to her. As her consciousness wavered, she thought she could hear a voice, a man talking to her in the dark. Then she felt the tentacles around her neck fall away and she wiped off her face, spluttering. A rose stuck out of the ground at her feet, its sharp thorns glinting in the sun.

"Tuxedo Kamen-sama!" cried Sailor Moon, who had also regained her footing.

He nodded at her. "Now Sailor Moon."

She nodded back and fixed her attention on the creature in front of her. "_Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!_" Her voice rang out and the creature was gone, replaced with the little girl who was now crying. A few meters away her father stirred.

"Akia! Honey, it's going to be okay." He rose to his feet slowly and walked over to comfort his daughter. He turned to Sailor Moon. "Is she going to be okay? That boy…I couldn't stop him. He attacked us and—"

"It's okay," she said, placing a reassuring hand on his arm. "You'll both be fine. We took care of it."

"Thank—Thank you." He picked his daughter up and walked away.

Mercury de-transformed and started moving back out to the street where she almost collided with Makoto, Rei, and Minako.

"We lost him. I have no idea where he went. But look who we did manage to find." Makoto bent down and Kiriko climbed down from her back. He looked a little disoriented.

Ami turned to him. "Are you okay? Where did you go?"

He looked at his feet, scraping his toe along the ground. "I don't know. I—I can't remember. Is she going to be okay?"

"Who?"

"The girl."

"Yes, I think she'll be alright. Did you see what happened?"

"No…" His brow furrowed in concentration. "I heard her screaming."

Usagi stepped forward and knelt down next to him. "It's okay, Kiriko-chan. She'll be just fine. Her papa took her home.

He nodded before walking up to Ami. "I'm sorry Ami. I didn't mean to wander off."

"It's okay Kiriko, we found you. That's the important thing. Let's go home, mm?


	3. Chapter 3: We All Have Something to Hide

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon

**The Peril Within **by Sunkissed Sapphire

Chapter 3: We All Have Something To Hide

Usagi tapped her foot impatiently in front of the door and shifted the weight of her bag from one shoulder to the other. She shifted her eyes down one end of the hall, then the other. It was empty. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her eye against the peephole. Suddenly, the door gave way and she lost her balance, pin wheeling on the spot before tumbling in. She looked up to find a little Kiriko-chan standing next to the door, laughing.

"Usagi-chan, why did you fall?" he asked her.

"Well I was trying to peek in to see what was taking so long but then you opened the door and I lost my balance."

"And that is why we don't try to spy on people, right Usagi?" Makoto stepped out from her bedroom wearing her karate gi. Her face was stern as she approached them but she broke into a smile and offered Usagi a hand up.

It was Thursday evening, four days after the attack and the senshi were no closer to discovering the identity or purpose of their new enemy. They were also no closer to finding a long-term solution for Kirko, so they were each taking him for an evening to give Makoto whatever time she needed.

Tonight was Usagi's turn and she was glad for the excuse to keep putting off her homework. Not that she didn't like watching Kiriko. He was a sweet kid, if a little quiet. And he did have a weird sense of fun. That was Ami's fault for getting to him first, making him think learning and studying were fun. But Usagi was going to cure him of that tonight.

"Luna's not with you?"

"No," Usagi looked to see if Kiriko was listening and leaned in to Makoto's ear. "Her and Artemis are scoping around, trying to find out more about the enemy."

"Gotchya, well, I'll be off then. There are some leftovers in the fridge and a cake on the counter that Kiriko helped me make. Ami might drop by later; she likes to come over and help out when her mom is working." Makoto frowned. "Although, I think the truth is that she is lonely. Usagi, do you think—Usagi?" She had clearly lost the blonde's attention, and judging by the way she was attempting to peek into the kitchen, she'd lost her at 'cake'.

"Usagi?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry Mako-chan. We'll be fine. I brought lots of stuff to do." She slung her bag off her shoulder and dropped it on the floor.

"Great, sounds like you two will have fun then. Thanks again, Usagi. I'd invite you guys along, but tonight I'm helping judge youth sparring. It's not as interesting as adult sparring or other competitions." She gathered her gym bag and water bottle by the door and stepped out. "See ya later!"

Now Usagi was free to find that cake. She stealthily crossed over and into the kitchen, and lo and behold the most scrumptious-looking cake was sitting right there, waiting for her. It was covered in rich chocolate icing and adorned with little icing bunnies nibbling on real strawberries. Drooling slightly, Usagi snatched up the knife and held it poised over the cake while she debated on which bunny looked the cutest.

"Wait!" Kiriko tugged on her shirt. "Mako-chan said to wait until after dinner for cake."

Usagi's face fell. "But, just an afternoon snack?"

"No, Mako-chan told me to make sure you waited till after dinner."

"Dang. She knows me too well. Are you sure you don't want just a little bite for a snack? It looks so good."

"It is good, I helped make it. I put the strawberries on too. But we should wait."

Usagi gave a heavy sigh. "O-kay. Well, guess we'll have to distract ourselves until dinner then. But that wasn't near as difficult as she made it sound. As Kiriko soon found out, Usagi's bag was full of Sailor V manga as well as everything she needed to set up the video game.

"What are these about?" Kiriko asked her about the manga.

"They're about Sailor V. Each one tells part of the story, and see? They're illustrated too."

"Ami bought me lots of fun books," he said happily. "Some are about plants and animals. Some show you how to build things, like a clock out of a potato. And Mako-chan has some about cooking that she let me read today. What about these, will they teach me something?"

"Err—." A nerve was twitching in Usagi's eyebrow. Ami had definitely done a good job. "Well I suppose you can learn about how to be a super cool soldier for justice, like Sailor V."

"Really? Neat! Are there really soldiers for justice?" He began flipping eagerly through the manga while Usagi explained all about the beautiful Sailor Moon (who was way better than Sailor V), the handsome and mysterious Tuxedo Kamen, and her loyal friends, the sailor senshi.

...

Ami knocked once quietly and eased Makoto's door open slowly, wondering if she had her nights mixed up and Usagi wasn't there after all. The apartment was quiet, subdued, too still for a five-year old boy, or Usagi for that matter. Then she saw them both in the living room, completely absorbed in what looked suspiciously like—

"Manga?" Kiriko and Usagi both jumped out of their skins, not having heard or seen Ami before her exclamation. "Really," she said, laughing, "nothing better to do with your time than read manga? Usagi, shouldn't you be studying for that test tomorrow?"

Usagi squirmed a little. "Umm, well, yeah…I suppose. Why aren't you at cram school?"

"I'm already finished. Did you lose track of time?" It would appear they had, because after Usagi caught sight of a clock she ran into the kitchen where they could hear her slamming the fridge and microwave doors. "I guess that means that you guys didn't have dinner yet. Well, that's okay, because I haven't eaten either." Once they sat down to eat Ami asked Kiriko about his day at 'school', as they called it.

"I had lots of fun. We got to read and Iwata-sensei taught me how to write everyone's names. And then we got to play with clay and make things. Then they baked them in the oven and made them hard. My friend Takeo made a turtle and gave it to me, do you want to see it? I'll go get it, I'm done eating."

He left for his bedroom and was back out a second later running with the turtle clenched in his hand. Suddenly he tripped on his pant leg and fell hard onto his hands and knees.

"Kiriko, are you okay?" Ami walked over to him as he stood up, looking at the turtle still clenched in his hand, the head now pointing at an odd angle. When he opened his hand it fell to the floor, having snapped off in the impact. A sniffle, then a tear.

"Takeo made it for me. And I broke it," he whispered. The tears were falling faster now and he choked back a sob. "I told him I would take care of it, but I broke it. I'm a bad friend." He let out a wail and began crying earnestly now, his sobs racking his small body. Ami felt something sweep over her and it grew dark in the room. Outside dark clouds gathered and thickened.

...

"Rei, have you thought much about life after high school?" Makoto had stopped sweeping the porch and was instead looking out over the shrine.

"What do you mean?" Rei had been surprised when Makoto had shown up after her karate competition, but had accepted Makoto's excuse that she just wanted to help clean some place that wasn't hers. Now it seemed they were getting to the real reason Makoto had dropped by.

"Well, I mean, like college, or whatever." She resumed her sweeping.

"Oh, yeah, I suppose I have a little. I thought I might try to take classes at the community college to start. Then we'll see I guess. After all, I'll still have my shrine duties. What about you?" They finished the porch and moved along the walkways, chasing out any persistent leaves and dirt.

"I hadn't really given it much thought really. I'd like to take some cooking classes I think." She fell into silence once more and they worked their way around and back to the shrine. The day was growing later and already the sky was tinged pink. "Did you know Ami's considering leaving for school?"

Rei hadn't known, but she wasn't surprised. "It makes sense, she wanted to leave before."

"Yeah, but she didn't. She knew we needed her. Why would she choose to leave now?"

"Well, we're stronger now. Not to say she isn't a necessary part of the team, but I think we'd survive. Besides, she's had this dream since she was a little girl."

"I know." Makoto leaned her broom against the wall and sat on the porch steps. _But her dream is to be a doctor, right? Why can't she stay here? _"I just always thought we'd stick together, you know? It's going to be a lot different without her."

"That's true. But we've all got our dreams, and we deserve to follow them. Just because Ami isn't as loud as we are about our dreams doesn't mean she values hers any less. We can't stand in her way. Besides, it won't be forever. A few years isn't very long for us, when you think about it."

Makoto did think about it, and it seemed to her those few years would be ages without her best friend. Medical school could take a very long time. And then what if she never came back, what if something kept her there? But Rei was right. Ami had her dreams, just like the rest of them. And she probably deserved hers more than they did. Makoto wasn't going to be the one to stop her.

"You're right of course. We'll get along fine. Thanks Rei."

"No problem Mako—" Rei stopped mid-sentence as she was struck by a familiar sense of foreboding. A sudden wind picked up around them, swirling dirt and leaves across the ground, undoing their evening's work. She pulled back her long hair that whipped in her face to see dark storm clouds gathering above Juban, choking out a brilliant sky painted by the setting sun. "It's back. The storm is back."

The moment the words left her mouth the rain started, hard and fast. "No way!" yelled Makoto as they ducked under the porch. "I think I'd better go before it gets bad enough to stop the buses again. Can you imagine Usagi alone with Kiriko for five days?"

Rei laughed. "I'd hate to see the state of your apartment, especially if Usagi tried to cook for both of them."

"I wouldn't have an apartment left. I'll see you later though. Maybe it won't last too long this time." Makoto ran down the porch steps and huddled under a tree next to the bus stop. Luckily it was there within five minutes.

The rain drummed against the buses windows and Makoto lost herself in the even rhythm. Rei was right about Ami leaving, but Makoto wasn't ready for it, even if it was a couple years off still. She realized that the ultimate truth of it all was that as they grew, they would grow separately, with their own lives. Just because they were senshi didn't mean they had to spend the next fifty or even thousand years together as a group, and they probably wouldn't.

But Makoto wasn't ready for that. She'd finally found what she'd never had, a family. And now she was going to lose the biggest part of it, because Ami took away her loneliness more than any other friend ever had. They were closer than friends, thought Makoto, like sisters maybe, but without the rivalry.

The more Makoto thought about it, the worse she felt. If they were such good friends, why couldn't she just let it go? She should want Ami to be happy, to find her dream. Was she being selfish? Was she not as good a friend as she thought? After all, what did Ami even get out of their friendship? She was always giving; giving her time to keep Makoto company, time to help her with homework. What did Makoto give her? Nothing but a headache, probably. Ami was so independent, did she even need them? Maybe that was why she wanted to leave.

Makoto was so wrapped up in her thoughts she missed her stop completely and had to change buses to get back to her apartment. It was then she noticed the rain had already stopped, the skies as clear as they were half an hour earlier when she was helping Rei at the shrine.

...

Ami handed Kiriko the newly repaired turtle and he smiled at her, the trace of tears gone from his face. Outside Ami could see final light of day breaking through the clouds, chasing away what was left of the storm.

At Ami's suggestion Usagi had left at the first sign of the storm, not wanting a repeat of the last time she went out in the rain. Meanwhile Ami cheered up Kiriko by gluing the turtle back together and reassuring him he wasn't a bad friend. "After all, accidents happen", she told him. "We must do the best we can to fix them, that's all."

But the strange coincidence between Kiriko's crying and the sudden onset of the storm did not go by unnoticed. Ami recalled his tear-streaked face when they found him in the playground and how the storm had stopped that night after they brought him home. Within a few minutes she had Kiriko absorbed in a book about turtles and was quietly scanning him without drawing his attention.

Whereas before she had only focused on basic vitals and life signs, Ami was now paying very close attention to the boy's energy readings as the little device analyzed him. Screen after screen reflected in her calculating eyes and soon it was very clear Kiriko was not a normal little boy. His energy signature suggested that he could emit vast amounts of energy when triggered, for instance when he was upset or in trouble. It would appear he was unable to control that energy, probably because of his age, and so after releasing it, it took on the form of the powerful storms they'd been experiencing.

Ami continued watching the screen as the diagrams kept shifting and changing. One of them in particular caught her eye and she isolated it, staring at it in disbelief. How could that be? She shook her head and began typing fervently, performing calculations, checking and rechecking her results. But each time they were the same. The computer didn't lie.

A noise from the door jarred Ami's attention away from the computer. Kiriko pulled away from his book and ran to the entryway where Makoto was standing. "Hey there squirt, how's it going? Where's Usagi?"

"Usagi left, but Ami's here now, see?" Makoto looked up in time to see Ami slip something into her pocket.

"Usagi left?"

"Yeah, when the rain started I suggested she get on home." Ami also came over to join them by the door. "I live closer and I told her I didn't mind staying with Kiriko till you got back. How was the competition?"

"Oh, not bad. I'm sorry you had to stay, I should have tried making it back sooner."

"Nonsense, we're all pitching in here. Tonight was your night off. You deserve it. I can stay a bit later if there is anything else you need to do."

"No, I should be good, thanks." While she was usually glad for Ami's company, tonight her presence only made her feel worse. "Why don't you go on home, I know you'd like to spend the time with your mom."

"Yes, I suppose she'll be getting off work soon. I'll see you at school tomorrow, then. Bye Kiriko-kun." She waved at them both and stepped out.

Once Ami got home she realized she had completely forgotten to mention what she'd found out on her computer. She would have to tell everyone at school tomorrow, at least about Kiriko being the source of the storms. As for the other part, well, she wasn't sure she should say anything yet. Not without more evidence. It just seemed too unlikely.

...

Minako threw a look at the clock when she heard her mother's voice travel up the stairs. 3:45. _What is she yelling about, _she thought, _I've still got—wait, 3:45! Aah! Fifteen minutes? _"I'm coming!" she called down the stairs, and she checked her pockets and bag one last time to make sure she had everything.

When had it gotten so late? For whatever reason, Saturday always flew by for Minako. First it was volleyball practice in the morning, then lunch, a few hours for 'home work' (which really meant Rei-time, arcade-time, or shopping-time), and then it was off to the daycare with her. A busy schedule, yes, but Minako didn't really mind, until time just really got away with her.

Her friends had all seemed a little surprised when she began volunteering at the preschool on a weekly basis. But you only had to understand her parents, the king and queen of fundraisers, volunteering, and philanthropy. A couple of months ago they had asked Minako to spare an afternoon at the Bright Horizons Preschool and Daycare, which was in desperate need of help with staffing. It was meant only to be an afternoon, but one day with those kids and Minako was hooked. They were so eager, so young, and so innocent. Whether it was teaching them a new game, reading them books, or helping them with an art project, Minako enjoyed every minute spent with them. It was true the last time she and Makoto volunteered with kids was a fiasco for her, but she realized it was much better when she focused on the kids rather than the cute teacher.

When she got there Minako noticed it was even smaller a crowd than usual when she arrived, which was saying something. Minako only ever worked with one other girl because Saturday evenings were so quiet. She was doubly surprised when Makoto came in with Kiriko half an hour later.

"What's up Mako-chan?"

"Hi Minako. Kind of a last minute thing, I have a date tonight. I thought about bugging Usagi or Rei, but Kiriko said he'd rather come here. Guess you guys have some fun then."

Kiriko tugged on Minako's arm. "Is Takeo here? I think he said he might be here tonight because his mom and dad were going out."

Makoto grinned. "So that's the truth of it, you have better friends to hang out with." Kiriko looked like he didn't know what to say. "I'm just messing with you kiddo," she winked at him.

"He's here, Kiriko, just in the other room there with the building blocks. You guys go have fun." Kiriko followed where she was pointing and found his friend building in the other room. "So you're going out with that same guy again?"

"Shiro? Yeah. Picnic." Makoto held up the basket in her hand. Minako looked at it hopefully. "No, sorry. I've got cookies at the apartment though, you'll have to come grab some before Usagi finds out.

Minako sighed dramatically. "Well, don't get in too much trouble now."

"Hey, you know me better than that."

...

Makoto sat next to Shiro with a picnic box open in front of them. They were beneath a cherry tree on a small hill overlooking a small lake where lovers sat together in small boats. She breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of the blossoms above them and relishing the small breeze on her face. It was such a beautiful day, a wonderful day for a romantic picnic.

She looked over at her date and stopped short. He was also looking out over the lake, but his eyebrows were knitted together. "Is something wrong Shiro?"

"Makoto, I'm not sure this is going to work out."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you like something other than the tempura? I also made dumplings. Would you like one of those?"

"That's not what I meant. I mean, well, I'm in college, you know…And I—I have to start thinking about my future, and who I'm going to share it with, and well…I just—I didn't know you were still in high school, and I can't bring someone like you home to my parents. I mean, they wouldn't expect someone so, well, tomboyish—"

Makoto stopped listening; it was the same story again. She was too big for a girl, too strong, not feminine enough. Never mind she was a good cook, and loved to clean. And he was such a liar, he knew her age. She'd been wearing her school uniform when they met. It was a cowardly excuse. He was standing now and she got to her feet too, feeling the anger rise swiftly inside her. Her muscles tensed, blood rushed in her ears, and her hands contracted into fists. If he thought she was too much a tomboy, he hadn't seen anything yet.

But that was it, wasn't it? She was too much a tomboy, and she was only going to prove it yet again. In her moment of hesitation all her anger drained out of her, replaced with the familiar numbness of rejection. She was only dimly aware of Shiro mumbling a pathetic goodbye before leaving, her mind stuck replaying a similar scene from years ago.

_Makoto had only caught a glance of her sempai that first morning back to school, but it seemed something was amiss. So that evening she tracked him down, searching his favorite haunts across town until she found him in the park where they had shared their first kiss._

"_Oh, Makoto—." He seemed surprised to see her, and less than pleased._

"_Where did you go this morning? I made you a lunch with all your favorites, but I couldn't find you. Did something happen?" Makoto touched his hand, but he pulled it out of her grasp._

"_Listen, I can't see you anymore Makoto. I had no idea—how could you lie to me?"_

_Makoto was hurt and confused by this. "What do you mean?"_

"_You're only thirteen! I knew you went to my school, but I didn't know you were in the lower class. You know I'm in Grade 12, do you know what this could do to me? _

_Makoto fought the tears hard. "I never lied. You never asked. I would never lie to you, I love you." She approached him again, but he stepped away. _

"_Look, just forget this summer happened, okay?" He turned to leave the park. _

_Makoto couldn't hold back the tears anymore and she found herself pleading with him. "Wait, no one has to know, if I'm too young. We can keep it quiet. I'll keep it a secret for you. Just don't leave. We're in love, aren't we?"_

"_Love?" His voice was harsh, and almost taunting. "How could I love a tomboy like you? All this time I thought you were a little big for a high school student, but for a middle school girl you're an outright giant. Don't come near me again." He left without another word, plunging Makoto into a darkness of self-doubt and loathing. Once again she was completely alone, and she had no one to blame but herself._

Tears stung Makoto's eyes and she wiped them away angrily. She looked around, realizing her feet had taken her halfway across the city. The area was familiar but it took her a moment to gain her bearings and recognize that the area was actually very near Ami's house. She was half-tempted to go and see her, but she changed her mind when she thought about it. Ami was enjoying a quiet day with her mom; the days they were both home were few and far between and Makoto didn't want to take that from them. Besides, Ami had more important things than listening to Makoto's sob stories.

"Mako-chan!" Someone waved at her from a down the street, but Makoto's eyes had blurred over again. "Mako-chan, what are you—are you okay?" Who else would it be but the very person Makoto was trying to avoid?

"I'm fine Ami, I'm just…" Makoto trailed off, unable to think of anything.

"Come on, let's go to my place. No one's there, my mom had to go a little while ago. An emergency came up with one of her patients." Mako felt a small hand slip into hers, soft and comfortable, and she yielded to its direction. "Come on, it'll be alright."

A few minutes later she was sitting on Ami's bed and the smaller girl was forcing a cup of tea in her hands. "I'm here Mako-chan, if you want to talk about it." But Makoto wasn't sure she wanted to talk about it. "I know I don't really have any experience with guys or dating, but I am your friend. I can listen."

"Look, I don't want to bother you. I'm fine, really. Nothing a good workout can't fix." She stood up but Ami was in front of her with both hands on her shoulders. There was a strength there that surprised Makoto and she was forced back down.

"You aren't bothering me. And I'm not letting you leave like this. You can pretend like nothing's wrong, but it doesn't change the truth of it. Share some of your burden, Mako-chan, let me help you." Ami didn't know why she was fighting so hard, except that she had seen a darkness in Makoto's eyes, a treacherous snake hiding beneath that shroud of strength and confidence.

Makoto closed her eyes and bowed her head while she struggled to keep herself together, angry at herself for how easily she had fallen apart in the first place. She usually had better control over herself than this, but the situation today had been too familiar. It brought back painful memories, called forth deep-rooted emotions.

She opened her eyes again, staring blankly over Ami's shoulder at the wall behind her. "What did I do wrong? Fate has taken from me everyone I've ever loved, or who loved me. It must be that I'm meant to be alone. I must not deserve to be loved."

"That's not true Mako-chan, we love you. Your friends care about you." Ami sat down next to Makoto. "Losing your parents… you lost them young, and it wasn't fair. But that doesn't mean you will always be alone."

"I know we're only in high school, but sometimes I just want someone who will take care of me. I don't want to always do it alone. I thought, once…"

Makoto didn't finish her thought, but Ami knew what it was about. No matter what, things always came back to her sempai. But Ami didn't understand why. What had happened in that relationship that it still affected her so? Makoto had never been forthcoming with the details and Ami had always assumed he was just an upperclassman Makoto had had an obsession for but who rejected her. But maybe there had been something very real to that relationship that left a lasting mark on the girl.

"Mako-chan, will you tell me about him? Your sempai?" Makoto looked at her slowly, her expression neutral. The she looked down at the floor.

"It's…It's embarrassing."

"Isn't love usually?" Ami smiled tenderly, thinking of how awkward her own feelings made things at times. "I don't judge you, Makoto. You should know that about me by now."

But Makoto had never told anyone. She'd been true to her word and kept it a secret. All anyone knew was that he existed, and even then not by name. "It's not that I don't trust you." She took a deep breath and exhaled. Maybe it was time. If there was anyone she could trust with this, it was Ami. "We started dating the summer before my fourteenth birthday. He was very popular and in his last year at my school which had a combined primary and secondary school.

"That summer I felt like things had finally gone right. My parents were gone but I had found someone who would take care of me always. We were in love, and I thought I would never have to be alone again. I think it impressed him that I took care of myself, that I could clean and cook like I did. I made him many many lunches that summer." Makoto's eyes went distant as she remembered again those summer days and Ami waited for her to come back.

"He took me out to shopping and drove me around town on his motorcycle. There were nights he would come over and let me fix him dinner. Toward the end of the summer we even made a promise to each other, out in a boat under a moonlit sky. I know I was only thirteen, but it was love at its fullest. I had no other dream than to be his wife." Makoto's voice grew cold. "But then school started back up. He had never asked my age, and I never told him outright. When he realized how young I really was he dumped me. He accused me of deceiving him. It was my fault, I ruined our perfect relationship. I failed the only man who ever cared about me—." Makoto choked.

"No." Ami's face had grown hard, her mouth a thin line. "No, Mako. He failed you. If he never got to know you well enough to know you were only thirteen…" Ami locked onto Makoto's emerald eyes, which were once more swimming with tears.

"But in the end it was me. He was a good guy, an honest guy. We were promised to each other. How could he go back on that? Except that, in the end, I just wasn't worth it. Why else would he go back on it after I gave myself—." Makoto cut off, scared of what she had revealed, scared of what Ami thought of her now.

Ami could feel an intense hatred for what this man had done flooding through her, but she quickly pushed it aside. It was years in the past, and what Makoto needed now was understanding and support. She felt guilty, both for her actions and for letting this guy down and losing, as she saw it, her only chance at love. Anger would only exacerbate those feelings.

"Makoto, love can be a powerful emotion, we've seen firsthand what it can do to us and what it can make us do. I have no doubt you were very in love with your sempai, and I'm sure he felt very strongly for you. You are in no way at fault for what happened there. He should have gotten to know you well enough to know your age, especially before asking you to give yourself to him. But after that, after he learned how old you were, he had to let it go, you know? The age difference between you—it was, in effect, rape. And because you had no parents, it just made it seem all the more that he took advantage of you."

"But he didn't. I'm not proud of it, but I wanted to. I would have done anything for him. I loved him."

"I know," said Ami, rubbing her hand across Makoto's back. "But legally speaking… He was probably afraid of the repercussions if your relationship came out in the open, so he dumped you. I'm sure he said very hurtful things to you when he left, but it was probably the only thing he could think of in order to protect himself. Fear can be a powerful motivator. I'm not saying it was right. But I believe that was his reasoning."

"I guess…But it was the truth, wasn't it?" Makoto stared at her feet. "It's the same every time. Guys don't like big, boyish girls. I'm too tall, too strong—"

"Yes Mako-chan, you are strong." Ami cut her off, kneeling down in front of her so she was looking up into her eyes. "Your strength keeps you going. You fight, to protect. Someday you will find someone who loves you _for_ those qualities, not in spite of them; someone who values you like we do."

Ami reached her hand toward Makoto's cheek but lost her nerve partway, instead placing it on her shoulder as though to brace herself to stand up. Makoto also stood, pulling Ami into a tight hug. "Thank you," she whispered. Then she laughed, wiping away a tear. "Guess you're even a genius at this stuff, huh? You helped me make sense of a lot today."

"No, I'm no genius at love, trust me. But I'm glad it helped."

Ami handed her a tissue and Makoto dabbed at her eyes again. "Ugh, I'm sorry you had to see me break down

"Don't be sorry, that's what I'm here for. But why don't I give you a few minutes, hmm? I'll just be in the other room. When you're ready, we can go get Kiriko." Makoto nodded and Ami walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Makoto let herself fall back onto the bed. She had gone far in the last hour. Another tear slid off her cheek and she stared at the place where it landed on her jeans. Why was she still crying? It wasn't for heartbreak. She had long since stopped shedding tears for her sempai, though now she could finally lay that ghost to rest. And Shiro may as well not have even existed at this point. No, these tears were for Ami's kind words and gentle touch, for the way she made Makoto feel valued and worthwhile, not like some giant mistake.

She'd been right, as usual. All those guys may not have liked her because she was big and strong, but that didn't mean Makoto should reject those traits. _Yes, I like to cook and clean too, but who would I be if I couldn't fight, if I couldn't protect everyone? Ami-chan, what would I do without you? What will I do?_

Makoto remembered once more that Ami was considering leaving for school and she looked over to the desk where sat the many piles of brochures. Makoto was surprised to see the neat piles were now rather haphazard, and upon closer examination she saw they had been shoved out of the way to make space for something else: a small, opened book with an uncapped pen lying across a page full of Ami's handwriting. _Does Ami journal? What does she write about?_ She knew she shouldn't, but curiosity got the better of her and she bent closer to read the neat, even handwriting.

_should just be happy for her._

_There is just too much right now, too much to contain. I don't know what  
is wrong with me. I have never had this much trouble with emotions. I  
have never let them get the better of me like I did the other day. There is  
no room for them in my life right now. Love? Longing? They do not help  
me. If I could only forget them, get them out of my head._

_I think Rei must know, given what she said to me last week. But she  
must also understand, if my assumptions are correct. We all have some-  
thing to hide._

_Would I give it all up for your touch? It scares me to think I might. Hopes,  
dreams, destiny. They fall by the wayside when it comes to you. If only  
you knew what you do to me._

_Take my hand, let me pull you out of your darkness. I'll show you what  
love can be. Here, touch my wrist. Feel how it pounds through my veins,  
quicker than lightning, thicker than blood? Hear how it catches in my chest,  
leaving me breathless. Taste it…here on my lips… waiting for you._

Chills were rocketing up and down Makoto's spine as she got wrapped up in the last paragraph. Is this what was hiding beneath that cool, collected exterior? How did Ami lock up this kind of passion? Makoto had no idea it was in there, she didn't think any of them did. She reread the last paragraph and shivered. _Feel it, taste it. _She wanted to. In her mind she could feel Ami's pulse fast beneath her fingers, she could feel—.

She blushed as her imagination created for her, unbidden, the sensation of kissing Ami, the texture of her lips, the taste. She shook her head, embarrassed of her thoughts. This was her friend, after all. Her best friend. _It was just the writing, _she told herself. A good writer draws you into their words, and from all appearances, Ami was a good writer. Makoto wondered who it was written to, and why Ami kept it quiet.

A quiet beeping from her communicator pulled her attention away from the little book. She answered it as she strode to the door, the adrenaline already pumping.

...

Minako had only stepped out a moment. She was saying goodbye to one of their last kids, watching the car back out of the parking lot when she heard a scream from inside. Running in, she found her coworker slumped against the wall and a strange man bearing down on the two boys left, Kiriko and Takeo. Kiriko was standing in front of his friend, his arms spread wide.

"Get out of my way," growled the man, but Kiriko shook his head. The man took a step closer. "I said, move!" and with his final word he held out his hand, sending a shockwave of energy toward the boy that Minako could feel from where she stood in the hall. Kiriko flew backward, landing sprawled on the floor, unconscious.

Minako ducked behind the receptionist desk and activated her communicator. "Everyone! Come to the daycare, hurry!" Then she transformed and re-entered the room. The man was standing over Takeo, who was now also collapsed on the floor, a small, bright, shiny sphere hovering over him. Venus shot forth her Love Me Chain, knocking the pearl out of the man's grasp.

He looked surprised for a moment, but recovered quickly as he turned to her. His hair stood from his head like fire, orange and red, and flames danced in his equally orange eyes. "You think you can stop me?"

"I will, just watch me." But he deftly dodged her next attack and rolled to grab the pearl. Venus' chain hit it once more, sending it flying across the room. "How can you prey on innocent children?"

"They have what I need. Such creative minds, unformed, unfocused. I give them purpose. Now, enough!" He held out his hand, sending out the same powerful shockwave Venus felt before. It lifted her off her feet and back into the hall where she slammed into the desk. She crumpled to the floor, landing awkwardly on her ankle. She stood up but dizziness washed over her and she was back on her knees, spots dancing in front of her eyes. Somewhere next to her she heard shouts and Mars' clear voice.

"Mars Flame Sniper!" Venus shook her head clear in time to see Mars' attack speed toward the man who was bent over picking something off the ground. It reached its target and the room quickly filled with smoke and embers of burning paper. The man seemed to have disappeared, the attack demolishing a wall full of kids' artwork instead. Mars was cursing.

"Venus, are you okay?" Artemis placed a paw gently on her ankle. Sailor Moon was also bent over her, her eyes full of concern.

"I'll be fine. But Kiriko, he…" all three of them looked over to see Mercury crouched over the little boy, relief written across her face.

"He'll be okay, he's just—"

"Watch out!" Jupiter flung herself at Mercury, knocking her out of the way of a shower of razor sharp icicles. A few of them grazed her leg, drawing thin lines of blood.

"Takeo, he's turned into a youma!" Venus stood, calling forth a low powered attack. If anyone was going to attack him, it would be her. He was her responsibility after all.

...

The group trudged up the steps to the shrine, quiet and battle weary. Makoto was carrying Kiriko who'd fallen asleep with his head on her shoulder. Behind them Rei helped support Minako who was now limping from her damaged ankle. When they reached the porch Rei eased her down on the steps, her injured ankle out in front of her.

"I'll be right back," and she went inside, returning after a moment with a small first aid kit and cold pack in hand. She crouched down at the foot of the steps, slowly opening the kit and taking out a bandage. In front of her Minako gazed at the full moon hanging low over the trees. The night was calm and still, quiet save for the sound of crickets. It felt at odds with the emotions Rei knew weighed heavily on her partner. She wanted to comfort her but the words sounded meaningless in her head, so she worked in silence and tried to communicate through touch.

She pushed Minako's skirt up to her knee, caressing her leg down to her swollen ankle where she laid a gentle kiss. Then she eased off her shoe, noting the grimace that crossed her face. "I'm going to try to be gentle, but it's going to hurt a little bit, k Mina?" Minako barely nodded but Rei took it as a sign to go ahead and she began wrapping the injured foot.

Makoto knew that Rei said she'd take care of Minako and to just relax inside, but they had been out there awhile and she absolutely hated just sitting around doing nothing. She glanced around at the others. Ami tapped her lips absently as she typed away into her computer with Luna looking on from her lap. Usagi fussed over a sleeping Kiriko who had his arm tucked around Artemis. The white cat was lying there quite obediently, although he kept throwing glances toward the front door, looking just as antsy as Makoto felt.

"I'm going to go check on them, make sure everything is okay." She stood up and walked out of the room to the front door. She slid the door open to call out to them, but the words stuck in her throat. She could see them on the porch steps just to her left, Rei crouched below Minako as she finished wrapping her ankle. The moonlight spilled over them, illuminating a look of such tenderness on Rei's face, it stopped Makoto in her tracks. This went beyond friendship, beyond camaraderie. She watched as Rei gently lowered Minako's foot to the ground after laying a kiss on her toes and Makoto felt the truth of the moment wash over her, none of it so striking as the simple beauty in the love laid bare before her. Neither of them had noticed her intrusion and she knew she should leave, but she couldn't tear herself away. There was an answer for her here somewhere.

In front of her Rei reached her hand to Minako's face, her thumb stroking her cheek. "I'm sorry," she said, moving so she was sitting next to her. "I tried to be gentle."

Minako shook her head slightly. "We almost lost him, Rei, and it was my fault."

"You know that's not true. Sailor Moon couldn't bring him back while the youma was at full power. Someone had to strike him. You did what was needed; you can't blame yourself for that."

"But he came back so frail when it was over. He looked so delicate."

"That's true, but Mercury checked him out. He's going to be fine. I know we didn't save his ethereal pearl, but he's still with us. Now, cheer up, eh?" She held herself away from Minako, surveying her. "Otherwise Nurse Rei will think you don't appreciate all her hard work this evening, which will make her very grumpy. And trust me, you don't want a grumpy Nurse Rei."

Minako wiped her eyes, giggling. "I love you."

"I love you too. My Mina." Rei brushed her fingers along the tips of Minako's bangs and pulled her into a kiss. Again, the simplicity. The pure, honest emotion. Makoto was so drawn into the scene before her she barely registered the presence of someone who had come up next to her and was now bent awkwardly below her to peek out.

"Aww, kawaii!" Makoto snapped out of her trance and looked at Usagi who was already moving away from the door. "Come on, let's leave them at it. This is going to be too much fun." A demonic grin was spreading across her face as she led them back to the room.

"Is Minako okay?" asked Luna when they came back in. Makoto didn't answer her but took a seat in the corner of the room. Opposite her Ami refused to look up from her computer; a slight blush colored her cheeks.

"Oh, I'd say she's more than okay. Rei has her well taken care of." Usagi giggled.

"What does that mean?" asked Artemis, though he half looked like he didn't want to know.

"Well let's just say those two seem to have been keeping something from us."

"What?" Luna looked from Usagi to Makoto, whose mind was a million miles from the conversation.

"They're dating. Each other." Usagi broke into a fit of giggles again. Artemis put his paws over his head, shaking it. "I think it may have been too much for Mako-chan."

"We're going to have to have a chat with those two," Luna said, turning her attention back to the computer.

"Wait! Can it wait? This is just too good. We are going to have so much fun with this. They're going to pay for hiding it from us."

Luna groaned aloud and copied Artemis. "I don't think I want to watch this."

"Come on Mako-chan, you'll help me, right? We'll just tease them a bit. Not tonight though, we'll let them have tonight. They do make a very cute couple."

Makoto nodded. _Yes, they do make a cute couple._ A million thoughts were running through her head. Not for the first time tonight she felt like maybe she really never had been in love, certainly not with all the boys she chased, but maybe not even with her sempai. What she had seen between Minako and Rei, what she had read from Ami that evening, it seemed more to her than what she had ever felt.

Finding them together like that had surprised her too. Minako had been almost as bad as she was in terms of chasing boys. How on earth did she end up with Rei? Still, it looked so natural between them. It worked, even if it was unexpected. Makoto was a little jealous, to be honest. Love and duty came together for them; there would be no secrets, no lies. They completed each other more wholly than anyone else ever could, like Mamoru and Usagi. But Makoto was unlikely to find someone who would match her like Mamoru did Usagi. Whoever she found in the end, she was going to have to hide part of herself from them.

Makoto thought about everyone else's response, remembering the Ami's blush. Yes, she definitely knew already. How, Makoto had no idea. But then again, she was the first to realize what was between Michiru and Haruka too. Haruka… the thought of her brought back memories of the two of them in the park, before she knew the racer's true identity. She remembered how everyone assumed they were on a date, and how she had fervently denied it. Back then she had only thought about how Haruka represented everything Makoto wanted to be: she embraced her masculinity and somehow made it softer, she was confident, and comfortable in her own skin.

But as she thought about it now, Makoto wondered if there hadn't been some sort of attraction there after all. There were times Makoto had found women attractive, but she always brushed it off. The feelings never went beyond that, and if they did, Makoto just reminded herself about how she'd loved her sempai. But if Minako—Boy-Crazy Minako—turned out to like women, could the same be true of Makoto? The thought surprised her, but her surprise was immediately replaced with the imagined sensation of blood pounding beneath the soft skin of Ami's wrist.

Makoto shook her head clear. Ami was her friend, and it wasn't right or fair for Makoto to consider her in that way. Makoto was on rebound, that was all. And this whole deal with Rei and Minako just got her wondering about things. …Still…Ami's lips…


	4. Chapter 4: Playing With Fire

A/N: Sorry for the bit of a wait. My excursion into unemployment finally came to an end, coupled with a little bit of writer's block, which somehow resulted in a slightly longer chapter than I'd like. But without further ado, I present Chapter 4. Hope you all enjoy..

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, but the characters sure are fun to borrow

**The Peril Within **by Sunkissed Sapphire

Chapter 4: Playing With Fire

_Ami dove into the crystal clear pool, the smooth water rippling over her as she skimmed the pebbly bottom and arced back to the surface. She looked around to see Kiriko still standing against the greenish gold wall, wrapped in his towel, the light reflecting off the water playing across his small form. _

"_Mercadian, what is wrong?"_

_The boy's deep gray eyes flicked back and forth between her and the water; they were full of apprehension. "It frightens me."_

_Ami was confused. "It frightens you? You've been in here many times before."_

"_Yes. But I had a dream. I fell in the water and I could not get out. No one was there to help me and I had to swim until I woke up."_

_Ami nodded at him understandingly. "That is a very long time to have to swim. But then you must be a very good swimmer if you were able to do so the whole time. Would you like to show me how good a swimmer you are?" The boy nodded slowly, a smile breaking through his nervous demeanor. "Well come on in then." _

_Ami swam backwards away from him as he dropped his towel and dove in toward her. When he reached her she scooped him into her arms. "Wow, you swim like you were born in the water." They both laughed. "I will have to call you my little otter."_

"_What is an otter, mother?" He looked up at her curiously._

"_It is an Earth creature of water. They are excellent swimmers and they love to play, I am told." She let him go and he began treading water on his own, concentrating on keeping his head up._

"_Can I see one?"_

"_Of course. Later today perhaps. I am sure the Records Room has some files pertaining—." The sound of a door closing drew Ami's attention toward the young woman who had just entered the room."_

"_I'm sorry for the interruption my lady; it would appear you are needed in a meeting with your father and the vice chancellors. I can stay here with young master Mercadian."_

_Ami sighed. "Thank you, Aniera. You can tell them I'll be there shortly." She picked her son up again, brushing his wet blue curls out of his eyes. I'm sorry Mercadian, this won't take long…"_

The dream faded as Ami's consciousness fought for control, her waking mind winning out in the end. She lay there, not moving, as the images from her dream washed over her again. No, not dream. Vision. She was sure without a doubt these were images from her life in the Silver Millennium. In her mind several things fell into place and she reached over to her bedside table to grab her minicomputer.

She recalled the various displays she'd first seen at Makoto's and watched as they flicked across the screen. A graph of Kiriko's energy signature appeared, followed by one of her own as Sailor Mercury. Then the two were laid one over the other and the computer highlighted areas of overlap, which were many. A numerical value indicating the commonalities between the two flashed on the right side of the screen, followed by a probability of the overlap being a random occurrence. Less than .001%. But Ami was no longer concerned with the improbability of it all, she had her answer. Kiriko was her son. Or was, in the Silver Millennium.

She realized she had been building to this point for the past week. First the scan at Makoto's and the troubling results. Then brief snippets of dreams and visions: a newborn with a small patch of wet blue hair, his eyes crinkling as he registered his first view of the world; herself supporting an infant in the water, holding him out in front of her while his legs kicked out, propelling him forward. Always in the same pool, always the same boy, though she didn't realize that till now. At first she dismissed them as meaningless dreams, but this morning she could feel the reality: the feel of the cool water against her body, the weight of Kiriko in her arms, and the reluctance in her heart when she let him go. This time she was also given sufficient context to place it in her past.

"Mercadian," she whispered, remembering how he looked in the vision. He had the same wavy hair as he did now as Kiriko, the same gray eyes. He was smaller in her vision, younger. Ami thought he couldn't have been more than three years old. Other than that he seemed to be the same boy, her boy.

"My son." The words felt comfortable on her lips.

But some things still bothered her. Why was Kiriko in the present? And why didn't he seem to have any memories of the past? Of course, he could be hiding it. But his ignorance of his past seemed genuine. And finally, why was Kiriko able to manipulate energy like he did? They weren't sure yet whether their powers transferred genetically, and in any case they were fairly positive their senshi powers were tied to their feminine energy. Being male, he should not have inherited those abilities.

Her son. The enormity of it was catching up and threatening to overwhelm her. She was only seventeen; how was she supposed to care for a five year old? How would she explain it to her mother? What would the other senshi think? Maybe it was best not to tell everyone quite yet; there were still too many questions. While her heart held no doubts as to the truth in her visions, Ami reminded herself they could potentially be false, perhaps even planted by the enemy. Though they did not know what connection there was between Kiriko and the enemy, they couldn't ignore that they had both shown up within a week of each other.

No, she shouldn't say anything for now, not until she had more figured out. Resolute in her decision, Ami got up and headed for the shower.

…

Rei gathered the small amount of money she made that afternoon into a small drawstring bag and stepped around to the front of the little stand to draw down the blinds. As she pulled them down they jammed on one side, refusing to move. Rei stood on her tiptoes, all her attention focused on the stubborn wooden slats as she pounded on the side that was stuck. So intent was she that she didn't notice the hands that were poised to strike on either side of her waist.

Minako made her move and Rei nearly jumped out of her skin, yelping as she lost her balance and fell back into Minako's arms.

"Minako! Kami you scared me."

"Well then consider it payback for this morning." Minako turned her back to Rei and smartly smacked the blinds so the slid the rest of the way down easily. "They were really sweet, but I had to spend the rest of the day evading all kinds of awkward questions from Usagi and Makoto."

"What are you talking about?" Rei was confused.

"The flowers. Don't get me wrong, they were absolutely beautiful. But maybe you should wait to show your romantic side until we've told everyone. You could have at least left out the note so I could have pretended they were just from some secret admirer."

"I didn't send you any flowers."

"What?" It was Minako's turn to look bewildered. "You didn't send them?"

"No. What did the note say?"

She blushed and turned toward the house. "Oh, nothing really. Shall we go inside?"

Rei caught up to her and grabbed her sleeve. "What did the note say?"

"'One night in your presence is heaven," she mumbled.

"One night…You think I would be that corny?" Rei laughed at her. Instead of walking toward the house they took a path that wound around the inside of the wall surrounding the shrine, stopping in a secluded corner. "My note would be ten times better than that."

"I figured that. Honestly I would have been more disappointed with you if I wasn't so busy trying to keep the note out of Usagi's hands."

"So they saw it?"

"Yes, her and Makoto. They wouldn't give it a rest all day. As far as anyone knows I'm single, so they were very interested as to whom I've been seeing behind their backs."

"What did you tell them?"

"I said I must have received them by mistake. My name actually wasn't on it anywhere. That or I have a really creepy secret admirer who's been fantasizing about me and thinks it's real. Eww." Minako shivered now that she knew that was a possibility. "Of course, one night with me would be heaven, but the only one who knows that is you." She leaned against the wall and pulled Rei toward her.

"Mmm. You got that right." Rei grinned, leaning in to kiss her. She broke off suddenly as a thought crossed her mind. "Weren't you supposed to be somewhere this afternoon?"

"I got out of it," Minako said simply, winding her fingers through Rei's long raven hair. "How about Grandpa, is he here?"

"He and Yuichiro went into town for something." Rei smiled triumphantly. "I guess we actually both have free time this afternoon."

"I know! How long has it been? Three, four days? Five?"

"Too long," Rei growled, her eyes hungry. It had actually been a week since they were able to spend that kind of time together. They were supposed to have had Saturday night but the fight at the daycare shot that to hell. But now they finally had the time and Rei planned on taking full advantage of it.

"Guess I'll have to make it up to you then." Minako smiled devilishly as she pulled Rei back toward her, spinning so their positions were reversed and Rei was up against the wall. She kissed her heatedly as her hand slipped through the folds of her dogi, cupping her breast.

Rei let out little noise, somewhere between a whimper and a moan and her hands gripped Minako's waist. A week was definitely too long, she decided. She broke apart from the kiss long enough to murmur 'inside' before Minako trapped her lips again. "No…we should go…inside…"

Minako nodded but ignored her, instead loosening the sash around Rei's waist. She wrapped her hands around the back of Rei's neck and slipped them down to her collar, gently pulling the fabric down her shoulders.

"Rei-chan! Minako-chan!" Minako yanked the robe back up to Rei's neck and they both turned to see a small girl with pink hair standing 20 meters away, her eyes as big as saucers.

"Chibi-usa!" they both said and the girl ran up to them, laughing. Rei turned around and tried to pull herself together. Luckily Minako hadn't gotten very far, so Rei only had to re-tighten the sash. The only thing she couldn't hide was the blush blazing across her cheeks.

Chibi-usa gave them both hugs, still laughing. "Were you two kissing?"

"Uh…" Rei had no response.

"No! Of course not. I was just helping Rei…" It turned out Minako didn't know what to say either.

"It's okay. You two aren't very good at hiding. I run into you kissing all the time in the future: in the halls, the courtyard. You think you'd be more careful with a kid running around. But its okay, I don't tell Mama."

"Right." Rei had no words but was glad Chibi-usa wasn't able to see everything that had been going on. "When did you get here?"

"Just now. I missed you guys and Mama said it was okay to visit you for a bit. It's lonely in the future; everyone is so busy. Mama said she also wants me to go back to school while I'm here."

"How come you didn't go straight to Usagi's?" asked Minako. "Won't you be staying there?"

"Yeah, but Usagi never seems very happy to see me. That's why I thought I'd come here." She narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "But then again, you don't seem very happy to see me either." The twinkle in her eyes betrayed the pout on her lips. "I knew I should have gone to see Ami or Mako-chan instead. I know! I'll go visit Hotaru." She turned to leave.

"Hey, you know that we're more fun than any of them. That's why you came here first." Minako pouted back at her and Chibi-usa smiled. "But actually, Hotaru isn't here anyway. Michiru and Haruka are on a tour and they took Hotaru with them." Chibi-usa's face fell.

"They'll be back in a couple of weeks. In the meantime we have someone different to introduce to you. Usagi has him tonight, right Minako?"

"Mmhmm. She took him back to her house this time, I think. Would you like to head over there?"

Chibi-usa looked from Minako to Rei, scrutinizing them both. "Are you sure you aren't just trying to get rid of me? This sounds a little fishy."

They laughed. "No, we aren't trying to get rid of you. We just thought maybe you'd like to meet a friend since it will be a while before Hotaru comes back, even if he is a few years younger than you. But if you don't want to meet him…"

"No, I want to meet him. Who is he?" Minako began explaining who Kiriko was, his strange appearance, and his even stranger power, half hoping maybe Chibi-usa might know something they didn't. Meanwhile Rei went inside and changed, coming back with the telephone in hand.

"Minako, it's for you." Rei listened to Minako's half of the conversation and ended up with the feeling that they weren't going end up with any time together tonight at all.

"Well that's not good. Itawa-san is out sick at the daycare and my mom says they desperately need someone to fill in the next two nights. I guess I'm the only one available. The plus side is that they want to hire me on rather than just having me volunteer, so I'm going to start getting paid tonight. But I have to head over now, so I won't be able to go to Usagi's with you. Sorry guys."

"Well Chibi-usa, I guess that just leaves the two of us. Shall we?" The two of them walked on to Usagi's while Rei filled Chibi-usa in about everything new with their group, which wasn't a whole lot except her and Minako's relationship, which she already knew about, and their new enemy.

"So he's been attacking kids and stealing something called 'shimmering pearls'? What are they?" Chibi-usa reached up and pummeled Usagi's doorbell."

"We don't know. And there are actually two of them, at least. One of them is younger, a teenager. The other is older though, an adult. I don't know if there are more."

"Scary. I can't believe someone would attack kids." From the other side of the door she could hear Usagi padding up to the door.

"Okay, okay. Geez, you don't have to ring it so many—Chibi-usa! What are you doing here?"

"I told you Rei, she's never happy to see me. Anyway, I missed everyone so I came for a visit. They all said I had to come here though and say hi to you too."

"Oh, well thanks. That makes me feel better." Usagi stuck her tongue out and Chibi-usa mirrored her.

"Come on you two, be nice to each other. I know you've missed each other more than that. Is Kiriko here?"

"Yeah, he's inside here, come on in." Usagi moved aside and ushered them into the living room where she introduced Chibi-usa to Kiriko. Once they were distracted she turned back to Rei. "Did you hear that someone sent Minako a bunch of flowers today at school?" Usagi laughed inwardly at the way Rei tensed up.

"Really? A secret admirer?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. That's how she tried to play it off, but there was a note that made it sound a little more personal than a secret admirer." Usagi chuckled. "But I didn't know she was dating anyone, I thought she was single. I wonder who it is and why she's hiding it from us."

"Oh, hmm. I don't know. You know, she's so busy, I don't think she'd even have the time to date anyone."

"Well it seems to me she's made the time. Maybe she sneaks out at night so they can meet each other in secret." Usagi let the conversation hang, enjoying herself while she watched Rei try not to look nervous. Then she decided to switch tacks. "Ah well, if she's taken, that means we have to find you someone now, right?"

Rei looked wary. She was beginning to think bringing Chibi-usa over was a bad idea in the first place. "What do you mean?"

"Well come on, you're the only one who's single. I mean, okay, Mako-chan is single now, but she just broke up with someone so the timing is wrong, and Ami-chan…well Ami doesn't really count, because she isn't interested. So that just leaves you. And Chibi-usa I suppose, but look how well she's getting along with Kiriko?"

Chibi-usa looked up at the mention of her name and came up to them. "What did you say about me?"

"Oh nothing. Anyway Rei, it just so happens that some guy overheard us talking about you at lunch today—"

"You guys talk about me at school?" Rei's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, nothing bad, you know. We were just talking about meeting for our study group tomorrow and the shrine was mentioned. Anyway, this really cute guy overheard us and when he realized that we were friends with 'that beautiful Shinto priestess there', he asked if we could introduce you. So I went one step further and set you up on a blind date with him on Friday. What do you say, hmm? He was really handsome, an older student. Just your type."

"Wait, Rei, what about—" Rei slapped her hand over Chibi-usa's mouth before the rest of it came out."

"You're right Chibi-usa, I do have plans for Friday. Sorry Usagi, I'm pretty busy too you know." Usagi looked curiously from Rei to Chibiusa, who was struggling against the hand clamped over her. Rei gave her a sharp look before letting her go, furious with herself for not remembering to tell her it was a secret.

"Yeah, but if even Minako has time for a secret romance, surely you do too," Usagi taunted.

"Um, no, not really. Sorry. Well, I've got to go, lots of chores and all. See you guys tomorrow afternoon." Rei scooted out of the room as fast as possible, waving goodbye to Kiriko and Chibi-usa.

…

Luna padded a few paces behind Usagi and Makoto, eyeing the pair suspiciously while they whispered and giggled in front of her as they walked to Rei's after school. "I suppose I shouldn't even ask if you two are done teasing Rei and Minako. Haven't you made them squirm enough yet? You've already got Minako glaring at any guy who looks twice at her. "

"But this is just the beginning; the best is yet to come." Usagi turned around to face Luna while she continued walking backwards. "You can wait a few more days before your all important lecture about duty and priorities and all that."

"What? How did you know—Wait. A few more days? Why can't you just do whatever it is tonight? You're worse than a cat with its prey."

"Oh please, I've seen you with your prey. You never leave poor Artemis alone. Anyway, tonight is no good for the final act because Minako's working. It will have to wait until our next meeting on Friday, although we really could use another hand before then." Usagi fixed her eyes on Ami, who had been quietly walking next to Luna, trying to stay out of the conversation by keeping her nose in a book. "Come on Ami-chan, what do you say?"

Ami peeked over her book at her. "I say you might want to watch for that pole behind you." Usagi spun around and yelped, leaping to the side in a kind of funny pirouette in order to avoid the telephone pole she'd been advancing on. Ami giggled at Usagi and lowered her book the rest of the way. "Anyway, this game is for you two. This sort of thing isn't really my area of expertise, so I don't know that I'd be much help."

"What kind of thing, relationships or teasing them?" Usagi was now in line with Ami, looking at her curiously.

"Either. I'll stick to studying I think." She lifted her book back up and Usagi let it go.

"Don't let her fool you, Usagi." Makoto slowed down so she was walking on Ami's other side and threw her arm around the girl's shoulders. "She's a genius even when it comes to love; she just hides it from us." She winked at Usagi and squeezed Ami into a brief one-armed hug. It was meant to be friendly, but Makoto was surprised at how nice it felt, how well Ami fit next to her. Then she noticed the blush rising on Ami's cheeks and she let her arm drop, frustrated with her inability to control this feeling and angry that she'd made Ami uncomfortable.

"I'm not…genius…love, don't know what you're talking about." Ami muttered into her book.

"Oh come on. You helped me out with Shiro. You helped me figure a lot of stuff out. You don't give yourself enough credit." But Makoto left it alone and went back to her whispering with Usagi until they reached the shrine.

It turned out to be a very unproductive study meeting all around. Surprisingly, it was Usagi who got the most out of it, even if she did spend a great deal of time trying to set Rei up on blind dates while the other girl went back and forth between ignoring her and glaring at her.

"I'm just not interested, okay?" Rei said finally, slamming a book on the table.

"Why not?"

"Because. I doubt he's my type anyway."

"Well what's your type then?"

"I don't have to tell you. But I'm sure it's not him." Usagi smiled inwardly at this. _No, I'm sure it isn't; not if blond-haired, blue-eyed, chain-wielding senshi are your type. _

Makoto had barely been paying attention to the exchange. Rather, she was attempting to make sense of the math equations Ami had explained earlier but she kept finding herself distracted by the distance between the two of them. _Am I sitting too close to her? But this is where I always sit. And yes, she is where she always sits. But I think I'm sitting too close. My arm keeps brushing against hers and it seems like she tenses up a little every time I move. Have I been too obvious? I've been trying so hard to ignore these weird feelings, to stop them, so how is it she can she tell? But she must be able to. She won't even look at me._

And then there was poor Ami, whose mind was almost too distracted to do her own work. _Alright, that finishes math—why is Mako-chan scooting away from me? Never mind, she's just shifting around a bit. Now for western history, where is that writing prompt? Ah, 'To what extent was the weakness of the French Monarchy responsible for the outbreak and course of the French Revolution?' Well first off—oh! Okay, it was just her arm. Seriously, I can't get so distracted every time she touches me. I have more important things to worry about. Like the French Revolution. Or how to stop this enemy from taking ethereal pearls from kids, or how everyone will react when they find out I have a son, or how to take care of my son. And I was just worried about finding a college, how about one that will accept me with a five-year old to care for?_

The struggle continued for each of them a couple of hours longer until Makoto called an end to it. "Well, I think that's all I'm getting done this afternoon," she said, giving a final look of disgust to her math homework as she packed up her books. "I should head on over and get Kiriko."

"Oh, I thought you were going to your karate class tonight." Ami looked at her quizzically.

"Oh yeah, you were going to take him tonight. I forgot to tell you. I'm going to take Kiriko along with me tonight. My class is going to be pretty short and I thought I could show him a few things when it's over. He seemed pretty interested in it. And this way you can have the night off."

"That's true… I'm sure there are some things I need to get done." In truth she had been looking forward to this evening so she could test out a few things with Kiriko. Of course, she always enjoyed her time with him; he was so enthusiastic, particularly about learning, even if he was a little shy. But tonight she'd been planning on taking him swimming, hoping something would jog her memory even more.

"Ooh, Mako-chan—you should take Chibi-usa too!" Usagi said enthusiastically. "She had a lot of fun hanging out with Kiriko the other day. This way they can get to know each other better."

"Yeah, that would be fine. Then he'll have some company while he waits for me."

Ami looked slightly concerned. "You know, maybe I should come along if you are taking them both. From what I hear, those two just feed off each other; who knows what they could get into."

"Really?" Rei asked. "But Kiriko is so quiet; he never does anything he shouldn't." She looked at Usagi who giggled nervously.

"Oh yeah, but Chibi-usa is definitely not quiet, and it would seem she has an effect on him..." She trailed off but they all were looking at her for more. "Okay, okay. Chibi-usa has decided that Kiriko is too quiet, and so she's made it her mission to draw him out of his shell a little."

"What she means is, after you dropped Chibi-usa off at Usagi's yesterday, Rei," Ami informed them, "Chibi-usa convinced Kiriko they should get Usagi. While she was taking a nap they tied her up and then began torturing her. I believe they drew on her, stuck feathers up her nose, and when she woke up, began tickling her till she almost wet the bed."

"Ami!" Usagi exclaimed. "You didn't have to put that part in. Anyway, I'd keep an eye on those two."

…

"Okay, now that we've warmed up, I'm going to show you some self-defense moves, okay?" Two heads nodded excitedly in front of her, a blur of blue and pink. "Ami, will you help me demonstrate?" Makoto glanced at her third student who was standing to the side, looking slightly out of place. She chuckled to herself. Somehow she'd convinced Ami to stay after her class, saying it wouldn't hurt for them all to learn a little self-defense. Now she was standing there, wearing a gi and standing barefoot on the mat. It may have been a far cry from her world of academics, but Makoto thought the look suited her just fine. Then she noticed Ami's belt.

"Wait a minute, what's with the belt?" Kiriko and Chibi-usa both turned their heads and started laughing with her.

"What's wrong with it?" asked Ami, looking around at everyone else's and then down at her own. Rather than the standard knot, Ami had tied hers into a sort of bow, with the ends hanging down past her knees.

"Here, I'll help you with it." Makoto untied it and began to show her the proper way of doing it. "See, you wrap it around your waist twice, like this." She started with one end of the belt in the small of Ami's back and began wrapping it around once, then twice, ending in front of Ami's belly where she felt the muscles tense up beneath her hand. She froze, suddenly aware of what she'd been doing and how close she was to the girl. "So, yeah. Here, take this," she stuttered, handing the remaining end to Ami. "Okay, now loop it up under the other layers, pull out the other end that's at your back, and tie them in a simple knot. There you go."

Kiriko interrupted them with a newfound impatience. "Show us some karate Mako-chan! I want to do that flying kick you did, that was really cool!"

"Yeah, and how you did all those spinning kicks in a row," Chibi-usa added in.

"The butterfly kicks? You'll get there. But first you have to learn the basics, okay? I taught you some simple moves, right? How to stand, different kinds of punches, blocks, and kicks. Now we'll learn some self-defense. The first is how to break someone's grip. Ami, will you be my uki?"

"What?" asked Ami, thoroughly lost.

So far Makoto had avoided looking at her since the belt thing, but she couldn't ignore her confusion at this. "Sorry. Uki, it means a type of demonstrating partner. Whenever you partner with someone to practice self-defense, the uki is the aggressor. I need you to grab my hand—I mean wrist." Ami, who was standing next to her reached over and grabbed her so her hand was over the top of Makoto's wrist.

"Yup, like that. Okay," she said, turning her attention back to Kiriko and Chibi-usa. "so when someone grabs you like this, the weakest point is where the thumb and finger meet, here." She indicated the place on the under side of her wrist. "That is where we can break the grip, and you can do it in several ways, based on how they're holding you. In this case, we want to do it like this—" she bent her arm and stuck her elbow in the crook of Ami's arm, leveraging her hand out of her grasp."

"Wow, that looked easy," observed Kiriko.

"It is; you can do this against any opponent. You just need to get the leverage and target the weak spot. Now, before we can get away, we want to somehow disable our opponent so he can't chase after us. The best way to do that here is to hit them in the nose with the back of your hand. So let's try it again. Ami?"

Ami looked a little nervous about grabbing her hand again. "Don't worry; I'm not going to hit you." She smiled at her reassuringly and Ami smiled back as she grabbed her wrist, harder this time. "Okay, so we bend the arm like this, get the leverage we need by using her arm, and then we pop free. See how my hand naturally moves toward her face after that? So we just let it continue, put in a little more force, and hit the nose. Then we get out of there." After stopping her hand an inch short of Ami's nose, she quickly backed off into a defensive stance.

"Okay, you two partner up and practice that and I'll keep partnering with Ami." She watched them for a moment to make sure they were doing it right, and then she turned back to her own partner. "Your turn?"

"Sure. But I doubt I'm strong enough against you Mako-chan."

"I'm sure you are. It isn't so much about strength as it is exploiting your enemy's weakness, you know that. That's what you're best at." Makoto watched a slight blush color Ami's cheeks and wondered at it. _Why do I keep making her blush? I was being sincere; how could she tell my feelings from that, I mean, not that I really feel that way, but—_

"Which hand did you want?"

"Umm, whichever. This one." She reached out and grabbed Ami's wrist. _I really don't feel that way, it's just—_ Her thoughts were interrupted again. She could feel it, a pulse thumping against her fingertips: steady, strong, a little fast. It sent shivers down her spine. The feelings she'd been fighting came alive all at once, the urge to grab Ami's other hand, to grab her shoulders and pull her close, to hold her, kiss her, taste her lips—_KAPOW!_

"Oh god, Mako-chan, I'm so sorry." Makoto's hands flew to her nose as her eyes watered. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hit you, my hand just flew up and…"

"It's okay, don't worry about it." Makoto shook her head, trying to clear her eyes. Her nose was stinging. "Is it bleeding?" Kiriko and Chibi-usa had stopped what they were doing and came up to them.

"No, it doesn't look broken or anything. But maybe we should—"

"No, really. It's okay. It happens more than you'd think."

"You hit Mako-chan?" asked Chibi-usa.

"I didn't mean to." Ami looked miserable.

"I know. It doesn't really hurt, you just surprised me. I was holding on pretty tight, so when you popped your hand out I'm guessing it had more force than you realized. It's okay." She squeezed Ami's shoulder. "Why don't we try some different grips, hmm? You guys seem to have this one down. Now remember, the process is the same for each. Exploit the weak point, disable your opponent, and back off. Here's the next."

Makoto spent the next hour demonstrating a handful of different grips, each one involving one or both wrists and a way to hit their opponent after breaking free. After the rush of feelings that hit her the last time she grabbed Ami, she really didn't want to partner with her again. But she also didn't want Ami to think she was mad at her for her nose. Then again, what if she couldn't contain it, what if she touched her again and something of those feelings slipped out? Because these weren't just 'rebound' feelings, she realized. They were real, and they weren't leaving. After she acknowledged that, she found it slightly easier to work with Ami, although it could just have been that Makoto now knew what to expect.

Makoto was impressed with how quickly they all caught on. True, these were basic moves, but she barely had to correct them on anything. They had very good form and technique. After a while Ami shed some of her earlier nervousness and genuinely seemed to be enjoying herself. She even joined the younger two when, at the end, they begged Makoto to give them a short demonstration of their favorite moves they saw earlier from her class.

When she ended the series with a beautifully executed jumping, spinning roundhouse, Chibi-usa and Kiriko jumped up and started clapping. "Arigato, Kino-sensei!" They both bowed and hurried off to change back into their clothes.

Ami also stood and walked up to her. "Kino-sensei," she said, bowing her head slightly. Ami turned away, throwing Makoto a sidelong glance and smile before heading to the changing room. This time it was Makoto's turn to blush.

…

Minako should have known something was up the second Makoto said it would just be the two of them walking to Rei's that afternoon. But Makoto said Usagi had something to take care of and Ami had to sign up for a practice exam, so they would both be a little late and Minako bought it. Now that they were finally walking up the shrine steps, she knew for sure there was an ulterior motive and she was stuck in one of the most awkward conversations she'd ever had.

"What do you mean?" she asked, hoping to find a way out of it.

"You know. I walked by one of those stores the other day and was thinking it would be really funny to get them something kind of kinky as a welcome home gag gift, but then it just got me wondering." Yes, there was definitely a devilish glint in Makoto's eyes.

"I have no idea what kinds of things Haruka and Michiru might get up to when they're alone."

"But—"

"But?"

"But I thought you would."

Minako was half torn between panicking and laughing. "Why would I know?"

"Because you're the Goddess of Love, aren't you? Shouldn't you know these things?

"Oh." A sigh of relief. "Well, no, not necessarily."

"Which do you think they would like?"

"Mako-chan!"

"Sorry!" Makoto gave it a short break as they reached the top of the steps. Then another evil smile. "Which would you prefer?"

"What!" Minako shrieked.

"Well, if you were in their position, which one would you—"

Makoto slid open the door and cut off at the scene in front of her.

…

After school Usagi ran as fast as she could to the shrine, taking the stairs two at a time and not even stopping to admire that she managed not to fall. She knew she wasn't very far in front of Makoto and Minako, but the timing on this was essential. She waited until she could see them at the foot of the steps until she slid the door open to find Rei sitting alone in the room.

"Usagi! Where is everyone else?"

"Rei, I need to talk to you." She took a seat next to Rei and scooted close to her. Rei tried to scoot away a little, but Usagi only moved closer.

"Uh, okay. What's wrong?"

"I just can't go another day without telling you, without knowing. I've already talked to Mamoru, and he says he understands. Rei, I'm in love with you. I've seen the way you look at me, and the way you always take care of me. I know you feel the same. Please Rei, let's not hide it from each other any longer."

Usagi threw her arms around Rei just as the door slid open again with a stunned Minako and Makoto on the other side. She held on to Rei as she tried to fight her way free.

Makoto was the first to speak. "Aww, I didn't know you two were in _that_ kind of relationship!"

"I know!" cried Usagi happily. "Don't we make a cute couple Minako?" Minako stood there open-mouthed, unsure of what to say.

"WE ARE NOT A COUPLE!" This was too much for Rei. She finally escaped Usagi's clutches and stood, trying to regain her composure.

Usagi played her part well. Her eyes welled full of tears and she threw herself at Rei's feet. "But—But why?" Her lower lip trembled. "I thought you liked me that way. What's wrong with me? Here, what if I—" she took down her hair and shook it out. "Do you like this better?"

Rei merely backed away, unable to find any words. Then Usagi gave Minako a very obvious once over and threw her hands in the air, the tears and trembling lip disappearing immediately. "The bow! How could I have forgotten the bow?"

Usagi, Makoto, and Minako all burst into laughter at once, while Rei watched them, unsure whether she wanted to yell or laugh with them.

"You guys are so terrible," said Minako finally. "How long have you known?"

Ami came into the room and slid the door closed behind her. "They've known since Saturday."

"The flowers?" Minako didn't need an answer, given the way Makoto and Usagi laughed even harder. "Well that was a really lame note by the way. And to answer your earlier question, Mako-chan, Rei and I don't need either. I am the Goddess of Love, after all."

"Ohh, too much information," Makoto groaned. Ami raised her eyebrows but decided it was better not to ask.

"I suppose that blind date you were trying to set me up on was just a ploy too, Usagi?" growled Rei. With a scowl she sat in front of the low table.

Usagi tried to read Rei's reaction. She seemed angry, which wasn't completely unexpected, but her heart wasn't really in it either. She answered cautiously. "Yeah…I'm sorry. I had a hard time thinking of how to tease you without it being really obvious what we were up to."

"Why did you feel the need to tease us in the first place? Why couldn't you just let it go, huh?" Rei crossed her arms over her chest and looked out the window.

"Oh Rei, don't get so worked up." Minako pounced on her girlfriend, wrapping her arms around her and pecking her on the cheek. "It was absolutely hilarious, you have to admit. I would have been disappointed with them if they had this opportunity and just let it go. You can't really blame them. We kind of deserved it. We've been hiding for months. We knew it would only be a matter of time before they found out."

"Months?" cried Makoto and Usagi. "How long have you two been together then?"

"Since shortly after the whole Galaxia thing," Minako answered them. Ami looked slightly surprised at this. "A pretty good while to keep a secret from you. You said you found out on Saturday?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." Makoto looked a little sheepish. "I went to check on you guys after the battle and, uh—it was pretty clear. Usagi saw too." They all joined Minako and Rei around the table.

"Oh well, could have been worse. It was about time we told you all anyway."

"No kidding. A year? Why'd you hide it from us for that long, or at all?" Makoto asked curiously.

"Well we weren't sure how you'd react, first of all…and then it was just fun having a secret and seeing how long we could keep it from you guys. There were other reasons, but it really was all pretty silly." Minako was still doing the talking for them since Rei was still acting a little put out.

"So how did you two get together? I bet it was super romantic." Usagi went all starry-eyed.

"Well, not really, actually. I know, I know. I expected more of myself too," added Minako after registering the look of shock mingled with surprise on Usagi's face. "See, it was more by default, because it turns out Venus and Mars were lovers in the Silver Millennium and so those memories came back to me eventually. Then when Rei started seeing stuff in the fire it was only a matter of time. Of course it was really adorable seeing her get all flustered around me for a while." She dug an elbow into Rei's ribs and the miko finally broke into a smile.

"Yeah, well you weren't much help. See, it wasn't until we had a rather unfortunate accident—."

"—and we kind of collided—"

"—and kinda tangled as we fell—"

"—and your head ended up in my—"

"—yeah, well. You get the picture," Rei cut off with her face turning red.

"It's okay though, because how we ended up together in the Silver Millennium was waaay better. Totally romantic. But it's too long a story to tell you guys now." Minako shushed Usagi's pleas for more details with promises that they would get to hear it all later.

"Well Ami, I guess that just leaves you and me," Makoto threw out casually. The room fell dead silent while a deep crimson blush rose rapidly to the tips of Ami's ears. It took a split second for Makoto to register what she said, and then, "I mean—you know, we're the only two still single, not that we—I mean, I don't—."

"Uh, we were going to have a meeting, right?" interjected Rei, trying to cover for Makoto's incoherent spluttering and save her some of her dignity.

"Right," said Minako, jumping into the rescue operation. "I think I've realized something over the last couple of days." She had everyone's attention, though Ami still looked like she wanted to sink into the floor. "As you know, I had to go into work the last couple of days, so I've been able to see how Takeo's been since the attack."

"How is he then," asked Usagi with a note of concern.

"Well from all appearances he's fine. He is still energetic, healthy, polite, and generally happy. But he's different too. If you didn't work with him a lot, I don't think you'd pick up on it, not for someone his age anyway. But for the kind of activities we do with the kids, it's a pretty striking change. See, Takeo was always very enthusiastic about arts and crafts of all different kinds. He was always coming up with unique ideas for his drawings or sculptures. He was very good at them. But now he's not even interested in doing those same things. He doesn't put anything into it anymore; it's as though that creative spark is gone."

Makoto nodded, having regained her composure a little. She was still avoiding Ami's eye though. She really hadn't meant it the way it came out, and it didn't sound that awkward in her head. But lately it seemed that everything she said was a double entendre. "So you think these ethereal pearls or whatever are like the creative center in us?"

"Yes! Exactly. And it kind of makes sense with what that guy said to me during that fight. I asked him how he could attack kids and he said something about their creative minds, about how theirs were unfocused, and that's what he needed."

"Well if he needs creative energy then that makes sense," mentioned Rei. "Kids don't really focus on one thing or another; their creativity tends to be all over the place. It's not till we get a little older that we focus on just a small range of creative outlets. I guess you could say kids have more potential in that respect."

"But what does he want to do with it?" Usagi's question got them all thinking for a moment.

"Summon the 'Cauldron of Unknown'." Ami's voice was quiet but she was heartened to find it didn't betray the awkwardness she still felt, so she carried on. "The first time the enemy showed, that boy, Kadius. He said he was going to 'summon the Cauldron of Unknown'. He also said that he was the 'seeker of chaos and pandemonium, remember?" Ami's voice strengthened as things fell in place, her mind making connections almost faster than she could keep up with. "That's their plan, to plunge earth into panic and discord. These ethereal pearls must somehow be a source of that power. As for the Cauldron of Unknown, it is the unknown that is at the heart of all fear, and fear leads to panic. Think about it, boundless creative force combined with the fear and chaos of the unknown. Order and logic would mean nothing. Society itself would cease to exist."

Ami was painting a bleak picture and it took the other senshi a few moments to absorb and process what she was saying. Makoto was the first to speak up. "But why have there only been two attacks? Don't you think they'd be attacking kids left and right for their ethereal pearls? Most kids are pretty creative."

"Maybe he needs particular ones. Kadius called them 'shimmering ethereal pearls'. Maybe there is a difference."

"That makes sense," put in Usagi who was desperately trying not to get lost in the conversation. "Maybe shimmering pearls are like, super concentrated or something. Super creativity."

"If so that's a good thing for us," Minako said. "Less kids, less targets, less victims."

Rei was less enthusiastic. "On the other hand though, it probably means there are fewer that they need. We've already lost two. How many more do they need, and how are we going to stop these guys from taking them? We'll also need to think about how we're going to get the other ones back."

"Get what back?" Artemis and Luna jumped onto the table in front of everyone.

"Finally! And everyone gets so mad at me for being late," grumbled Usagi.

"Well at least we don't make it a habit," Luna shot back. "We were trying to find out the enemy's whereabouts. Artemis was checking out debris left behind by the comet and I was looking for any evidence that they were operating out of another dimension. But we didn't have much luck. Have you guys found anything out?" The group quickly filled them in on what Minako had learned and what they suspected of the enemy's intentions.

"Do you think they might be after Kiriko? Do you think he has one, a shimmering pearl?" asked Usagi.

"It is a possibility we have to keep in mind," Ami answered. "We still don't know why he is here. It could be that he is hiding from them. We need to be on guard for that, just in case."

Makoto slammed her fist on the table. "If they weren't such cowards! It'd be a lot easier for us to get these pearls and protect these kids if the bad guys didn't just grab and go." It was obvious that this was what bothered her most about these guys. She hated not being able to land a punch. "We need some way to keep them from disappearing immediately."

"Yes, we may not be able to predict which child they'll attack next, but we can get a plan ready for when it happens. We need diversionary tactics so one of us can grab the pearl and then enough firepower to keep it in our possession." Ami's 'battle-speak' caught them off guard but they took up the idea immediately.

"It also seems that we are always caught off-guard when the kid transforms into a youma," added Rei. "We need to be mindful of that so it doesn't happen again."

"I'll make sure I'm can get a clean shot in before they fully transform, that way we can deal with the threat before it is even real. We'll just need to make sure we can get the kid out of the way so they don't get hurt during the battle."

"Spoken like a true princess," Artemis said proudly and Luna nodded in agreement. "It sounds like you all have come up with a good plan." The senshi all smiled at the rare praise.

"Well, if we've got that sorted out, I have to get to cram school."

"Oh, yeah. I guess I should go see if what Kiriko and Chibi-usa are up to. We've given them way too much time to conspire, plan, and plot." Usagi looked a little wary. "But maybe they've been too busy being spoiled by my mom. She really likes him, you know. I bet I could convince her to adopt him. Or maybe Chibi-usa can do some of her hocus pocus."

Makoto chuckled at that. "We may have to consider something like that. He's fine for now though, I really don't mind taking care of him. It's nice having someone to take care of besides my plants." No one noticed the small frown that crossed Ami's face and it was only a moment later that both she and Usagi were descending the steps away from the shrine.

Makoto turned to Rei and Minako. "So I guess that just leaves us the three of us then…" She was suddenly reminded of her earlier statement and she slapped her forehead with a groan. Rei cocked an eyebrow at her while Minako tried to stifle a giggle. "Thanks," Makoto said sarcastically. "Actually, could I talk to you guys for a minute?"

"Sure, Mako-chan."

Makoto gave a look to Luna and Artemis, who caught on pretty quickly. "Uhh, we're just going to have a walk outside, we'll be back in a bit." Then a pointed look at Rei and Minako. "And don't you two think about going anywhere, we also need to talk." With that they both slipped outside.

"Uh-oh."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about that. I'm sure it's just some silly lecture they have ready for you two. But I just wanted to ask you guys—er, I've been wondering—do you think I've—." Makoto let out a half-strangled, half-frustrated sigh. "Have you guys noticed if I've been acting strange toward Ami at all lately, I mean, besides my horrendously awkward comment earlier?"

Rei snorted and Minako tried to suppress another fit of giggles, which earned her a glare from Makoto. "Sorry Mako-chan. But it was rather hilarious. Anyway, what do you mean?"

"Well it just seems that a lot of the things that I say and do lately make her blush, and I always feel like I'm making her uncomfortable. I mean, it's really only been the last week or so. And I don't feel like I'm acting any differently, but something's different, because I can tell by the way she reacts." She watched the two girls exchange looks. "What? What is it?"

Minako opened her mouth but Rei cut her off. "Nothing. We don't think you've been acting differently. But why do you feel like you are, did something happen this last week?"

"No! Yes—well, maybe…." She heaved a sigh. "You know how Shiro dumped me last week, and I ran into Ami afterwards and she kind of cheered me up. Well, something that afternoon just kind of hit me and I had the craziest thought for a moment. But I pushed it away pretty quick, because it was just out of the blue, and the situation was a little weird. But then that night was when I saw you two out on the porch, and I realized what was going on, and it got me thinking again. But I figured it was just because I was on rebound or something, you know? Sorry, I'm not making much sense."

Rei and Minako said nothing, waiting for Makoto to continue. "This is just new for me. Or maybe it isn't. I've found women attractive before, but I always dismissed it. I would just remember how in love I'd been with my sempai and I told myself I was being silly. And the whole Haruka thing. I mean, I really did admire her for other reasons. I didn't even consider that it may have actually been a crush until last week. But now Ami? And after seeing you two, and realizing a few things… I've always felt really protective of her and really close to her in general, but I thought that was just part of our friendship. Now I'm not so sure. And I don't think it's just a phase, I don't think it's just rebound. I thought it was at first, but the feelings are strong, and real, and even though they are new, they don't feel new. They feel…right. Ugh, I can't believe I'm telling you guys all of this." She banged her head on the table and left it there.

"It's okay Mako-chan. You can share with us. We know it isn't easy. It was so hard trying to talk to Minako about my visions about us at first. I was lucky that the situation just kind of arose where things didn't need to be talked about. I mean, it was all sort of replaced with a different kind of awkwardness."

"It's just so embarrassing, especially because she seems to have picked up on it, and it's making her uncomfortable."

"Ami doesn't really seem to be acting any different either though," Rei said slowly.

Makoto lifted her head back up at this, her eyebrow raised in disbelief. "What do you mean? She blushes half the time I compliment her or give her a hug."

"Yeah, but that isn't new."

"What?" Makoto looked from Minako to Rei, not comprehending.

"Ami has always blushed when you've given her special attention. You've never noticed?"

"…No. She has?"

Minako smiled. "Of course she has."

"But she doesn't blush when anyone else does."

"Nope." Now Rei was smiling too.

"And you don't think she's picked up on my feelings."

"Doubt it."

"Huh," Makoto said, frowning. "Okay. Well I guess I'm gonna go now. Thanks."

"No problem," they both said. Makoto was half-way down the shrine's steps before things clicked in her head and she started blushing furiously. _Ami doesn't blush when anyone else does. _Was it possible she had a chance? She broke into a huge grin and ran the rest of the way down the steps, suddenly full of a hopeful energy. She almost ran headlong into Artemis and Luna who were headed back up to the shrine.

"All done then?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm good. They're all yours."


	5. Chapter 5: Floodgate

Chapter 5: Floodgate

"Kiriko, where'd you go?" Ami smiled from the apartment doorway as Makoto hunted room to room for the little boy. "Ami is here. Are you ready to go?"

Kiriko stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped beneath his armpits that pooled around his feet and went around him at least three times. A pair of swimming goggles was perched on his forehead.

"You're supposed to swim in the pool, silly, not in the towel. Go put some clothes on over your suit, k? It's chilly out there."

"Okay Mako-chan," he said giggling. He turned to go into his room, tripping slightly over the towel as he went.

Ami chuckled and dropped her backpack next to the couch. With a thud her duffel bag landed next to it, full of clothes for the next few days and a handful of books for studying and nighttime reading. Her mom was working nights for the next week and Ami jumped on the opportunity to come help out with Kiriko. Not that she was glad her mother would be so busy, but Ami hated putting all the responsibility for caring for Kiriko on Makoto.

Of course, Makoto would say it was no big deal. But Ami felt she needed to be more involved. Besides, it felt good when she came over. She enjoyed the nights where the three of them could play games together or talk about their day over dinner. She loved the question and answer sessions she had with Kiriko whenever he finished reading a book about something new. And she loved how Makoto always acted revolted at all the learning going on but still kept one ear turned to the conversation, sometimes throwing out a question or two of her own. It was almost like they were a family, though Ami warned her heart against getting attached to such a notion. Still, the more she watched Makoto with Kiriko, the more she hoped this dream would become a reality.

A hand on her shoulder drew her out of her thoughts. "You look awfully deep in thought there Ami-chan, what's on your mind?"

Ami blushed and ducked down to her bag, pretending to rummage for her swimsuit. "Oh, you know. Nothing important. Are you sure you don't want to go with us?"

Makoto went along with the deliberate change in conversation. "No, that's okay," she smiled. "I've got a lot to do around here. You guys go have fun."

"Ami-chan! Mako-chan! I'm ready to go. Is Chibi-usa here yet?"

Kiriko didn't have long to wait and the three of them arrived at the sports center in little more than thirty minutes. Kiriko and Chibiusa would have run the whole way up to the pool on the top floor if Ami had let them, but instead they waited for the elevator. Even Ami was having a difficult time mastering the excited energy that stole over her, though hers was more anxious in nature, akin to the anticipation she felt when about to receive her exam results. Because tonight's trip to the swimming pool was intended to be more than just play time.

The truth was that for over a week Ami was having regular dreams about her life in the Silver Millennium before they began tapering off, having all but stopped by now. And still, none of the major questions had been answered. So Ami decided to be a little more proactive in trying to piece together the puzzle. Even though her visions spanned a time frame of at least three years, they all shared a common element, her element. Every vision took place in or near water, always the same pool. While Ami didn't have access to such a beautiful pool, or a private one at that, the sports center was as much a refuge to her now as that pool must have been to her in the Silver Millennium. It was little more than a whim, but Ami hoped the association would jog more memories, and that they might hold the answers.

"So Kiriko, you said you already know how to swim? Who taught you?"

Kiriko looked at her, puzzled. "Taught me? I've always known. Doesn't everyone know how to swim? It's like walking isn't it?"

"Well no, not everyone learns to swim. Some people learn very young, and others never at all. But I suppose if you spent a lot of time around water when you were very young it would almost be like learning to walk, wouldn't it? How about you, Chibi-usa? Are you more comfortable in the water?"

"Mmhmm!" She smiled enthusiastically. "After my last visit I made one of my mama's friends teach me how to swim." She winked at Ami, who smiled.

"Hmm. I'm surprised that she hadn't shown you already." Chibi-usa looked a little sheepish at this remark, but it was forgotten as the elevator doors opened and the sight of a very large, fairly empty pool beckoned to them.

Ami let the other two get in first and watched them play for a couple of minutes. To no real surprise, Kiriko moved through the water almost like he was part of it, reminding her of the way Mercadian swam in her dreams. And Chibi-usa looked to be vastly improved in her ability as well. Ami always wondered why the future Mercury had never properly taught Chibi-usa how to swim. She figured it must have been some objection on the little lady's part. But it hardly mattered now.

"Ami-chan! Come in and play with us!" She obliged, diving in and swimming up to them. "I'm a mermaid princess," Chibi-usa informed her. "And Kiriko is my bodyguard. Who do you want to be?"

"Can I be the princess' friend?"

"Sure!" Chibi-usa said excitedly and Kiriko nodded in agreement. "So we are looking for a famous treasure that is supposed to be hidden here. They say it is a beautiful crystal that has great power. But they also say it is guarded by a fierce monster."

"Really?" asked Ami. "Then we must be very careful."

"It's okay. If we find it I'll protect both of you," Kiriko said seriously. Then they set off swimming around the pool, diving down here and there scanning the bottom of the pool for their 'treasure'.

Ami had to laugh at some of the other pool's patrons who seemed not to know what to think of the three of them. She watched them throw her odd, curious glances as they swam their laps. Then she realized that normally she would be one of them, swimming back and forth, oblivious to the world outside of her lane. Swimming was therapeutic for her. In this way she could escape, free to let her mind wander or else try and work out problems. More and more that problem was what she termed "The Mako Predicament," but it was a puzzle without borders.

Ami was still swimming around aimlessly when Kiriko got her and Chibi-usa's attention. "I think I found it. A monster is living in a cave just over there. It's big and scary. It has to be the monster from the legend!"

"A big and scary monster? Do you think you can beat it?" asked Chibi-usa.

"I don't know. It looks really powerful. Maybe if all three of us teamed up against it."

Ami looked toward where Kiriko had pointed and stifled a laugh. A very large man with a grumpy air about him had settled on a bench at the far end of the pool. He had been eyeing the three of them rather contemptuously and looked as though he were in the mind that they were enjoying themselves far too much.

"I don't know Kiriko, I think it's a big risk. We don't want to risk losing our princess," Ami said cautiously. "Perhaps there is another way we can get the treasure without fighting him. Can we sneak around him and get it?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea. One of us should sneak over and get it while the other two distract him." Chibi-usa looked at Kiriko. "You are a good swimmer and you are small. Maybe you should go get it while Ami and I distract him."

Kiriko nodded. "How are you going to distract him?"

"Actually, we may not have to distract him at all. Look!" Ami nodded toward the man who was now perusing a magazine. "If you go very slow Kiriko, he may not notice you at all. But if he does, then Chibi-usa and I can distract him, right?"

They both nodded and Kiriko dove under. Ami watched with a certain curiosity. Normally she would just tell the kids to leave him alone, but they were having so much fun. Besides, it was a family night at the pool and he should really be a little more understanding. She also wanted to see just how far Kiriko would go. She ducked down in the water and watched him as he crawled painstakingly slow along the bottom of the pool toward the bench where the man sat. He managed to keep flat against the floor, holding his breath the entire way. She watched him get right up underneath his feet, with only inches between them before slowing backing away, turning around, and swimming back up to the girls who were waiting with bated breath.

"Did you get it?" exclaimed Chibi-usa when they all resurfaced.

Kiriko's face was almost glowing. "Yup! Here you are, Princess." Ami was surprised when he actually dropped something into Chibi-usa's outstretched hand. It was a plastic bottle cap.

"The crystal! Now we can give it to the King and Queen!"

"May I see it Princess Chibi-usa?" She handed Ami the clear piece of plastic. She pretended to revere it for a minute before closing her hand and pulling it behind her back. "Oh no!" she exclaimed.

"What?" asked Kiriko and Chibi-usa in unison.

"That otter there, do you see it? It took the crystal. We have to catch it and get it back!" Ami smiled when the other two both dashed through the water after the invisible otter, trying to retrieve the stolen bottle cap. They laughed and shrieked as they made their way around the pool, both trying to out swim the other, pulling on each other's feet and splashing each other to make the race more interesting.

And then it was as if Ami went deaf. Everything became muted as though she'd plunged her head underwater, and her vision became grey and fuzzy. She was far from panicked but at the same time she felt anxiety and fear surging through her. Her heart was pounding and she could hear ragged, frantic breathing that both was and wasn't her own. Though she was standing still she felt air rush past her as though she was moving with speed, just as she could feel her feet pounding across marble floor, hard and fast. Then an anguished cry that made Ami's blood run cold before it and everything else faded away. _"Mercadian!"_

When Ami's senses returned it was quite obvious the world had kept on turning without her. The kids were still chasing each other around, the grumpy fat man was still reading on the bench, and swimmers were still doing laps on the other side of the rope. But the despair and adrenaline that overwhelmed her in the vision, if it could be called that, still lingered with her and her heart raced unchecked.

"Ami-chan, are you going to play with us still?"

"Actually Kiriko, I think I might swim some laps if that is okay with you guys." She felt bad about ending their game, but at the same time she was too distracted to be much fun. They both nodded and assured her they'd be okay and she headed off to an empty lane.

Ami was a little shaken, but the feeling wore off as she pulled herself through the water. She focused her attention fully on her swimming, the pace, the evenness in her stroke, her breathing. With each kick off the wall she let go a little bit of the tension, anxiety, and fear until she was at last calm and relaxed.

She had known from the beginning that if Kiriko was in the present, it probably meant that she and Mercadian were separated at some point in the past. So she knew that if she were to figure out the truth of it all, it wasn't likely to be pleasant. But the intensity with which she had experienced it had caught her severely off guard. She was thankful that she at least seemed to have remained outwardly composed through it all. She just hoped she wouldn't be experiencing any more of her past tonight. The one memory was more than enough.

After a few more laps she swam over to check on Kiriko and Chibi-usa, realizing they were practically alone in the pool save for one boy who was practicing on the diving board. She found them almost where she left them, taking turns diving down for the bottle cap Kiriko had found earlier.

"How are you guys feeling? Still having fun?"

"Yeah, we're having fun," said Chibi-usa. "How about you?"

"I'm fine, though I'm getting a little tired. What would you say to packing up and maybe stopping for ice cream on the way home?" That earned her an enthusiastic response from the two of them.

"Alright. Why don't we go get changed then?" After showing Kiriko the boys' changing room, Ami and Chibi-usa quickly rinsed off and changed into their street clothes. Ami was still in the process of towel-drying her hair when a loud yell echoed through the room from the pool area, followed by a wall-trembling blast. She locked eyes with Chibi-usa, who nodded firmly at her and they both transformed.

...

"Ugh, I can't wait for the weekend," Makoto exclaimed, stretching her arms and back from where she was sitting in Usagi's bedroom. "This week has generally sucked."

Artemis warily eyed the fist that came within inches of hitting him as Makoto pulled her long arms back in. "You are aware it's only Tuesday, right?"

"Yes, thank you very much. That's just how much this week has sucked. First detention yesterday afternoon and then the disaster at the pool last night." It was the next day and Makoto, Usagi, Luna, and Artemis were all gathered in Usagi's bedroom. Her mother, Ikuko, took Chibi-usa and Kiriko to the market and they were taking advantage of their absence to discuss the night before.

"Disaster is right," said Luna. "Even with all of our strategizing we lost another pearl. And if Ami's hypothesis is correct then we are one step closer to total chaos. "

"Not to mention the poor boy it belonged to," Usagi said quietly. "It's terrible to think about really. All his hopes and dreams…Without any kind of drive or passion, what do they mean anymore?"

It seemed no one had a response and they were quiet for a moment. "We'll get them back," Makoto said finally, her hands balled into fists. "We'll find those two bastards and we'll get them back."

Usagi put her hands over Makoto's. "Of course we will." She smiled. "We'll figure something out. We always do." Then switching tracks quickly like only Usagi can, "Where's Ami?"

"She's studying for her mock exam on Thursday. You should have seen her this morning. She was all worked up, convinced that she shouldn't take it because she wouldn't perform well. She said she was too distracted or something."

"She'll do well. She always does. Nothing can distract her that much."

But if only that were true. At that moment Ami was nervously chewing on her lip, flipping through pages and pages of study material, including several past exams. She checked and rechecked her notes. Everything was there, and she had already gone over it twice. But she still felt like she was missing something, as though there was still something she needed to do. She fought down another rising wave of panic.

It had been like this since last night, since her vision. Every once in a while she would get a surge of panic and her heart would race. It wasn't nearly as intense as the first time, or even as strong as it was this morning, but it still was driving her to distraction. There was no way she'd be able to take an exam like this. If it didn't stop before Thursday she would have to consider something she had been avoiding since this whole ordeal started: visiting Rei and letting her help her control her visions. But Ami would prefer to deal with this by herself. She shook her head and refocused her attention on the books in front of her.

...

"Finally, Friday." Makoto plopped down in an armchair and kicked her feet up, throwing a smile at Ami. "I've been waiting for this all week." Ami nodded in agreement. It had indeed been a long week. "I think we should celebrate the weekend, what do you think?"

Ami looked at her curiously.

"I just thought we could break the routine a little. Your practice exam is over, so you don't have to study tonight, and I can put off my homework for one night, surely."

Ami looked at Makoto sternly for a moment before breaking into a smile. "I suppose one night wouldn't hurt. What were you thinking?"

In her head Makoto did a victory dance. Prying Ami away from her textbooks all week had been like pulling teeth, and a studious atmosphere was definitely not what she'd been aiming for between the two of them. But tonight she'd have her chance, maybe, if she could actually get up the nerve and the circumstances were right. "Oh, I don't know. I thought it would be fun to take Kiriko to the park and do a little bit of stargazing, what do you think?"

"That sounds wonderful! We could head out after dinner. By the time we get to the park it should be dark enough. We can bring some blankets and some cookies if you have any left. If you want, I can run home and get my telescope."

"Nah, I think we'll be fine. We don't want to take a chance with your telescope on the bus. But the rest sounds good." She glanced around. "Where did he go anyway?"

"I think he went to put his school books away. He told me he's almost finished reading the ones I bought him. We'll have to go to the store later this weekend and pick up some more."

"There's just something wrong with that," Makoto grinned. "He's too much like you in that regard. I don't think Usagi's forgiven you yet for getting to him first and 'ruining' his sense of fun." Ami said nothing. "I don't think it's a bad thing though. I mean, you turned out alright."

Ami blushed a little and was silent for a moment. "I think he'll be okay, don't you? I mean, he has the rest of you too, teaching him how to have fun and make friends…He won't be as awkward as I was."

"Oh no, I think he'll be fine. It's just funny, that's all." She stretched out her long limbs and stood up. "Guess I'd better get started on dinner then." She walked to the kitchen while Ami stayed behind, debating whether or not she should tell everyone about Kiriko. There was no doubt in her mind anymore, but she was afraid of what might change. Although she knew things were already changing, and she was going to have to change right along with them.

The sky was still just a little pink as the three of them got off the bus, and as they walked they watched it fade to lavender, violet, and indigo. Once they had their blankets spread out and were situated, there was no longer any trace of the sunset, merely the blue-black of space and the myriad of stars painted across it. The longer they waited the more stars they could see peeking out at them. Luckily for them it was a very clear night with only a few wisps of clouds that moved along at a decent pace.

Ami scanned the night sky, the corner of her mouth tugged down in the slightest of frowns. "There is an awful lot of dust tonight. I wonder if it is pollution or if that comet left behind an unusually large amount of debris."

"Hmm. Yeah. But you can still see a fair amount of stars."

"I know, wow! It's so pretty!" Kiriko's eyes were wide in excitement as he tried to take in the entire night sky at once.

"Yeah it is." Makoto shoved one of the pillows they had grabbed behind her head and laid back, taking it all in. A light wind rustled through the cherry trees, carrying the scent of blossoms on its back. She breathed deep, relaxing in the calming night. Ami and Kiriko also grew silent as they fell into the spell.

"So have you learned anything about stars or space in school Kiriko?" Ami didn't look at him, but kept her eyes fixed on the twinkling lights above them.

"We learned the planets, and I know that even though the stars look so small, they are actually really big and bright, like the sun. Every star is a sun, my teacher said."

"That's right. They are just so very far away that they look tiny to us. Did you know that some stars form particular shapes called constellations? In the past people made up stories about the constellations and travelers would use them to help them navigate when sailing."

"What kind of shapes?"

"Some are animals, some are objects, and some are people, the heroes of old tales. If you look there to the north, that really bright star is Hokkyokusei, the north star. That was a very important star for early travelers. It also forms the tail of Koguma, the little bear." She pulled out the star chart she couldn't resist bringing and showed him the constellation, which he then picked out in the sky.

"Oh, I see it. Is there a big bear?"

"There sure is. Above it, with its legs pointing the other way. That one is Ooguma. There are more stars in that constellation, see?"

Makoto stayed in her relaxed position but followed them with her eyes from star to star, listening to the soft music in Ami's voice.

"Can we make up our own consteltations?"

"Constellations?" Ami corrected him. "We sure can. The ones you make up will be the ones that you remember best because they have the most meaning to you."

"Are there any turtle constellations?"

"Not that I know of. Do you see one?"

"Yes, those stars there look like a turtle. See? The head and the shell. It even has a tail."

"Oh, I see it. That's neat, Kiriko." She looked as he pointed out a few more of his own star shapes but he soon grew quiet.

"There are so many of them, Ami-chan. How many are there?"

"Billions and billions, an infinite number. There could be one hundred thousand million in just our galaxy, and there are billions of other galaxies." Kiriko fell silent again, lost in the enormity of it. They all felt a little overwhelmed at the moment.

After a while Ami could hear Kiriko's soft, even snores; it seemed his boundless energy had finally caught up with him. It was then Makoto finally spoke up, though only in a whisper. "A hundred thousand million, huh? How do you even wrap your mind around it."

"I know. It is like saying that there is one star for every night in eternity. Is there ever really an end?"

"One for every night…That's a whole lot of wishes."

"A lot of wishes," Ami echoed. She didn't notice Makoto was no longer looking at the stars. No, Makoto's attention had long since been captured by the girl next to her and she took her time studying her: the way her blue locks fell away from her pale face. The reflection of the starlight in her eyes. Her small nose and fine cheekbones. The relaxed, easy smile on her lips. Soft, pink lips. Makoto lingered on them. Then she noticed Ami had also turned to look at her, and she shifted her gaze to widened eyes.

"Ami," she said, holding her eyes with her own. "What do you wish for?" A silence the span of a heartbeat. Ami's cheeks darkened, and Makoto felt the heat rise in her own. Her eyes flicked down to Ami's lips and back again. She moved to close the small distance between them.

"Ami-chan? Mako-chan? Nnnh." Makoto backed away and opened her eyes to find Kiriko stirring on Ami's other side. He rubbed his eyes and sat up. "Are we still at the park?"

"Yeah kiddo," she sighed. "We're leaving now." She tried not to notice the way Ami's cheeks were now blazing, nor the way she avoided looking at either of them.

...

Ami knocked on Usagi's front door hesitantly. It had taken everything she had to force herself here this evening. It would be the first time since last night Ami would be in close proximity to Makoto and she wasn't sure how things would be between them. After they left the park Ami barely spoke two words and when they got home she went immediately to bed. Then she got up and left the next morning before anyone was up, leaving a note stating that she would see them all this evening at Usagi's.

Perhaps she wasn't being fair to Makoto, but Ami didn't know what else to do. Her first instinct was one of self-preservation and avoidance. Her biggest dream was coming true right before her eyes but she couldn't believe it; she couldn't accept it. It had to be a joke, a sham. When had Makoto ever shown that kind of interest before? Sure, there had been little things over the years and Ami had always hoped, but she never dared to believe.

Usagi answered the door looking a little worried, but when Ami smiled at her, worry gave way to a real enthusiasm. "We're glad you're here Ami! Come on in!" Ami followed her inside to find the rest of her friends gathered around the TV in the living room. She waved at them and gave a quick glance at Makoto, who was smiling at her.

She came in the rest of the way and sat down in a chair, still avoiding the tall brunette. Despite the smile, Ami hadn't failed to notice the hard look in Makoto's eyes, the same look she had last night after they got their things together and headed back to the bus. It spoke of determination. It said _this isn't over yet, mark my words_. It was a look that made Ami weak in her knees, made her heart beat just a little faster beneath her breast. It was a look that spelled danger.

It was that look more than anything that told Ami she wasn't imagining things, and it shouted a warning in her mind. _You aren't ready for this! …I know, but I want it, _she answered._ I've wanted it for so long... _But her mind still rejected it. _It's too dangerous. If you do this you put yourself, your princess, and now your son at risk. And what if it doesn't work out?_

That was the hanging question. What if it didn't work out? Things would be forever awkward, and there would be no escaping it. And then the more terrifying part of it…what if it did? What if they found eternal happiness in each other? Would they be able to put duty before love if it came down to it? This had been the dialogue in her mind all day, the constant back and forth with no resolution.

"So yeah, Shingo's at a friend's and my mom and dad are going out tonight which means we have the whole house to ourselves! Plenty of time for pizza, snacks, and an all-out racing tournament." Ami was brought back to reality rather suddenly when Usagi plopped a steering wheel in front of her. "First up Ami versus Rei."

The doorbell ringing an hour later tore most everyone's attention away from the TV where Chibi-usa and Kiriko were duking it out on the racetrack. They all congregated in the kitchen around a most delicious smelling stack of pizzas.

"This brings back memories, doesn't it?" asked Rei.

No one answered as Chibi-usa's concerned voice floated in from the other room. "Kiriko? Are you okay? Usagi!" Concern turned to terror as Chibi-usa screamed for the others. In an instant they were there beside her, watching as a transformation overtook the small boy they had come to know and love. He stood with his eyes closed and his body rigid, a strange orange aura emanating from him. When his limbs began to lengthen and his body grew the five warriors began their own transformations.

Chibi-usa herself was frozen with both terror and awe, unable to transform or even move. She watched, fixated on Kiriko's form as he grew taller and taller, the curls in his hair straightening as it swept up and away from his head. A headband appeared around his forehead bearing strange symbols that matched those on the right pant leg of the uniform he now wore: A black sleeveless shirt and black baggy, cloth pants. The glow surrounding his body faded away and he opened his eyes, which were now brilliant orange. He smiled.

"Kadius!" Jupiter was shocked, outraged. "This whole time it's been you! You've been masquerading around this entire time as Kiriko? I let you in my house, I cared for you!"

"And for that I must thank you." He smiled even wider, a sinister grin. "You have taken very good care of Kiriko. And living amongst you humans helped me greatly in my quest. But if you don't mind, I have business to attend to."

"No. I may have cared for you as Kiriko, but I will not hesitate to fight you now."

"You already have." And then, though they should have expected it, they all stood helpless as he shot forth his black lightening to an unsuspecting Chibi-usa. It hit her square in the chest, throwing her backwards against the wall where she smashed into a picture frame and that fell down with her. Where she had stood a second before now floated her own ethereal pearl, shimmering with a soft glow, like a small fairy that hovered in space.

The senshi sprung into action. Jupiter and Rei both aimed their attacks at Kadius while Sailor Moon ran over to Chibi-usa. Kadius threw himself almost flat on the floor, evading the flames and razor-sharp leaves that swirled over his head. Then he executed a quick roundhouse, knocking over Venus as she made toward the pearl still hovering in the middle of the room. He himself then lunged for it, but found his way blocked by Jupiter.

"Not this time. This time it's ours. This time she keeps it." She began her attack, fists flying as she advanced on him, her size giving her the advantage as she pressed him on: a punch, a hook, another punch, a blow to his knee, an upper cut, an elbow to his ribs. He deftly blocked each of them, but she was fast and kept him from using any of his more powerful attacks.

She had him backed nearly into a corner when he finally found an opening in her onslaught, landing a powerful blow to Jupiter's midsection. With a grunt she doubled over, winded and reeling from the pain. She opened her eyes in time to see Kadius send a blast of air at Venus who had once again made for the pearl, this time closing her fingertips around it before his attack hit her. The gust slammed into her, sending her flying backwards into the wall where she landed next to Chibi-usa, dazed. With a yell of outrage Mars sent another attack at him, just as Jupiter got to her feet and simultaneously threw her own ball of lightning.

_No. No no no. _"No!" From the moment she had transformed, Mercury had been frozen in the doorway, unable to move, unable to fight for one side or the other after she watched the boy she knew was her son turn into their enemy. Now she watched helplessly as the double attack from her teammates bore down on him yet again. This time there was no chance to duck. His eyes widened as the impact lifted him off his feet, hurling him through the window and out into the street.

"No!" Mercury yelled again. Her legs finally found the will to move and she ran to the window where she could see Kiriko sprawled on the ground ten meters away, not moving. It seemed that his loss of consciousness also prompted the loss of his transformation.

She had to get to him. She had to make sure he was okay. Picking up an over-turned lamp, she busted away the larger pieces of glass that stood between her and Kiriko.

A hand grabbed her arm but she yanked out of its grasp. "Mercury, what are you doing? He's—"

"My son. He's my son." She didn't even look at them, nor did she wait for a response. Her attention was entirely on the small and fragile boy out of her reach. She crouched through the window frame and leapt down, her feet running almost before she hit the ground. But before she was even halfway there, a man appeared between her and Kiriko. She stopped in her tracks as her eyes locked with his. Violent orange, to match his hair. The same man who attacked the day care. The same man who joined Kadius at the pool earlier in the week. From the depths of her mind she could hear maniacal laughter.

"Sailor Mercury. So we meet again. And aren't the circumstances hauntingly familiar? It is just too much a coincidence for me. Again you try and stop me, and again I take your son. You should never have interfered."

A blast of images assaulted Mercury's mind, flashing almost too quickly for her to comprehend: the man dressed in the uniform of the Mercurian Palatial Guard, his orange hair hidden beneath a cap; the two of them locked in a fierce battle, her handmaiden Aneira unconscious on the floor; His face contorting into a sadistic smile as he picked up Mercadian and ran.

"Ferios." The name came easily to her now. "You won't take him again." A second later she had sent a wave of water toward him, which almost caught him as he leapt sideways, throwing his own attack toward her. She ducked out of the way and the blast caught the house behind her, sending back a concussive wave that brought her to her knees. _Her son. He wouldn't take him from her again. She would protect him, whatever the cost. Ferios would pay for the time they should have had, for the way he used her son. _Something wild awoke in her. She was the wolf guarding the litter, the cornered tiger all claws and fangs, the enraged den mother shielding her young. An animal-like instinct replaced the cool calculating mind and she launched her attack.

For the senshi crowded around the window, the sight before them was a terrifying one. Their Mercury, who always made sense, always fought with brains before brawn was now fighting as though possessed, reckless and dangerous. The two figures in front of them were almost a blur as they weaved in and out, dodging attacks while casting their own, two partners in a hellish dance. They all stood shocked, wanting desperately to help but unable to attack for fear of hitting their own.

Mercury sent another wave of water toward Ferios, anticipating his dodge to the right so she was there to meet him. She knew she didn't have the physical strength to match him, but it hardly mattered to her as she threw punch after punch. Her deviation from her normal water-based attacks threw him off and she succeeded in landing a couple of blows before he recovered and responded in kind. His fist caught her along her jaw and she staggered back, tasting the blood from her busted lip. Not missing a beat she rolled to her left, using her Shine Aqua Illusion. He was frozen mid-attack but the ball of energy suspended between his motionless hands continued to grow until it exploded, shattering the ice that held him captive.

As the fight wore on Mercury could feel her strength wane. She was never a very strong fighter, like Mars or Jupiter; she won her battles by being clever. But rational thought nearly escaped her right now, lost in the surge of adrenaline. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she would not be able to defeat him like this. Not here, not now. If nothing else she had to get to Kiriko.

She inundated the area with a cloud of mist, obscuring his vision and hiding her intentions. Then she ran toward the place she knew Kiriko still lay. The ruse didn't work, and when she found the boy Ferios had already picked him up, slinging him over his shoulder. He smiled wickedly and releasing a shockwave that slammed into her, sending her sprawling to the ground.

"No!" Mercury was still surrounded by the fog she had created, but she could hear his footsteps on the concrete as he ran. She followed them out into the street, her heart hammering in her ears and her feet pounding on the pavement. Still the fog persisted. Mercury's breathing was hard and ragged, the echo of her feet on the marble assaulted her ears. Marble? No, she wasn't in the Silver Millenium, this was the present! She had to stay focused; she had to get her son. She could see them ahead of her. Parked cars and streetlights fell behind her as she sped on but she didn't seem to be making any headway. She wasn't catching up. They were nearing the end of the hallway. Pillar after pillar flew by. She could send an attack at him. He was defenseless. But that was her son over his shoulder. She could not strike him.

At that moment Ferios turned around, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Thanks for your son. Don't worry, I'll take care of him. We'll be seeing you, Sailor Mercury." And with that he disappeared, taking her son with him.

"Mercadian!" She screamed, falling sharply on her knees to the asphalt. Sobs racked her body. She lost him again, her son. Her beloved Mercadian.


	6. Chapter 6: Conversations

Chapter 6: Conversations

Pain. Heartache. Loss. Whether these were her emotions now or from the Silver Millennium was unclear, but it didn't matter. They were one and the same right now. Mercury was suspended somewhere in between that life and this one, memories flooding her consciousness. She was not aware of the four pairs of feet surrounding her and their voices may as well have been lost on the wind for all she could hear them.

"What's wrong with her? Is she okay?"

"What was she talking about? Her son?"

"It's a trick. It has to be."

"We need to move her; we need to get her inside."

The feel of a pair of hands on her shoulders registered dimly, penetrating through the fog that surrounded her mind. "Come on Ami-chan. It will be okay. Come on." Ami let her transformation slide away as she raised her eyes to Makoto's.

"Mako-chan," she whispered. It was all she could get out at that point and she threw her arms around her for support.

"It's okay Ami. Let's get you inside." With that Makoto lifted her up and carried her back to the house, Ami's face buried into her neck. The rest of them followed the two inside where Makoto took her up the stairs to Usagi's bedroom. Ami barely felt the pressure under her change as she was laid down on a bed and the touch of something light and soft on her cheek before she was lost again.

Makoto walked back downstairs where the others were trying to straighten the living room. The picture was hung back on the wall and the lamp was placed upright on the table, but there was no hiding the shattered, gaping hole in the window. Makoto began picking up the larger pieces of glass while Usagi retrieved the vacuum.

"What happened out there? Why does Ami think Kiriko—I mean Kadius—is her son?" Makoto was whispering, trying not to wake Chibi-usa who was sleeping on the couch. They had gotten to her just in time and she never transformed into a youma, but she was exhausted after the ordeal.

"Like I said, it has to be a trick." Rei noticed Chibi-usa stirring on the couch and motioned them to follow her into the kitchen. "The enemy must have planted something in her mind."

"But she seemed so sure," Makoto insisted. She put a kettle on the stove and set out tea cups for them all. "She would have killed herself tonight trying to save him."

"It was scary," said Usagi. "I've never seen her lose it like that. It was like she was out of control."

Rei nodded her head in agreement. "They were powerful attacks too. Dangerously powerful. I mean, it's no wonder she's in the state she's in. They must have drained her by quite a lot."

"She's tired, but she's also really upset. She was crying when we got to her, and she's still crying now. But she's also in this weird state, like she's half dreaming or something. She keeps saying 'Mercadian' but I don't know what she means.

Minako's head shot up. "Mercadian. No…" She shook her head and looked at Artemis. "Could it be him?"

"The lost prince…" Artemis murmured.

Luna looked skeptical. "There's no way. It's been thousands of years. There was never a trace."

"But we didn't have the time then," Minako persisted in her argument. "Think about it, it's not impossible. And they look almost identical. Not to mention the storms he can create."

"Are you guys going to fill us in, or just keep on having your little debate in the corner?" Makoto glared at them impatiently.

"Sorry Makoto, all of you. It's just that—I mean, I can't believe we didn't notice it before."

"You're still being a little vague there, dear," Rei teased. "Who is the 'lost prince'?"

"Mercadian. Prince of Mercury, and heir to its throne," answered Artemis. "He was Sailor Mercury's son."

Usagi was excited. "So he _is_ her son! But what happened to him? You said he was lost?"

"All she ever told us was that he was abducted, and it was difficult even getting that out of her," Minako answered.

"That's because she was a soldier." Luna's voice was hard and stern. "Her duty was first and foremost to Queen Serenity and the Moon Kingdom. She couldn't distract us with her own personal matters, and she knew that."

Minako gave her a hard look back. "Queen Serenity gave her her blessing. You can't hold it against her."

"Uhh, hellooo," Makoto waved at them. "You forgot about us again."

"Sorry. There's just a lot behind all of this, and I don't know that we should be the ones to tell you. I'm guessing Ami is in the state she's in because losing Kiriko tonight somehow triggered a flood of memories from the Silver Millenium and the first time she lost him."

"But how did she lose him?"

"Like I said, all Mercury would tell us was that he'd been abducted by some enemy of her people, an enemy that had come back for revenge. We had never been involved in the original fight, so we knew next to nothing about it. Unfortunately we were never able to look for him because almost immediately afterwards we started getting intelligence that the Dark Kingdom was moving against us and we were all called to the Moon Court. We vowed we'd find him after the threat was dealt with, but of course we never got there." There was a hint of guilt in her voice and Artemis placed a reassuring paw on her hand before speaking up.

"Anyway, it looks like this Ferios was the one to kidnap him in the first place. He must have brainwashed the prince, intending to use him as a tool against Sailor Mercury as part of his revenge. Thus Kadius."

"But what are they doing here now? How did they just randomly pop up thousands of years into the future, right when we've happened to reawaken?" asked Usagi.

"I don't know. It's unlikely they traveled through time but we could ask Setsuna if anything weird has gone on at the time gates. We can ask her next weekend when they come back."

Eventually the conversation moved on to Chibi-usa and her ethereal pearl, and how they should have known Kiriko and Kadius were one and the same. They also suggested different stories to explain the shattered window when Usagi's parents came home. Her mind still on the one who wasn't with them, Makoto eventually got up to fill a bowl with lukewarm water. After grabbing a washcloth she carried it upstairs to Usagi's bedroom. She opened the door room very quietly and peeked in, realizing immediately that no amount of noise she made would matter. Ami was completely unaware of what may happen in this world, her mind trapped within itself.

Makoto left the lights off and sat on the edge of the bed, placing the bowl on the table next to her while she watched Ami fight off demons she couldn't see. There were times when her expression was peaceful, but for the most part Ami's features were twisted with worry or pain as she muttered wordlessly in her strange, dream-like state.

_She pushed her way hurriedly through an ornately carved door, barely noticing the man who stood guard outside, his orange eyes following her in._

"_Father, I just arrived. Your message seemed dire. What has happened?"_

_He stood, embracing her warmly if briefly. "Thank goodness you are here. There seems to be a strange sickness moving through Mariner Castle and it has left our medical staff completely flummoxed. Not many have been infected yet it seems, but the results of those who have are more than unsettling. Those it affects become uncontrollably destructive, wreaking havoc and mayhem. If this were to grow to an epidemic it could mean the collapse of our entire society!"_

"_I'll need to inspect those who are infected immediately," she said as she moved back toward the door. As they walked down the hall she pressed him for more details. "Have you no idea of the cause or the manner of transmission? It is possible it is not a sickness at all."_

…

"_Father, I have dealt with the threat. You needn't worry about this psychosis anymore."_

_He looked confused. "You found a cure?"_

"_No sir, it wasn't a sickness. A man posing as one of our guard was behind it. He was altering people to become chaotic, intending to harness their energy to his own purpose. But I have dealt with him. Mercury is safe."_

…

_She was walking quickly down a pathway that wound through a garden with beautiful flowers and many water fountains. The planet Earth hung low on the horizon. Ahead of her was her quarry and she approached her, trying to ignore her fear and trepidation._

"_Venus, I must speak with you," and almost without pausing the words escaped her lips. "I am with child."_

_Her leader's blue eyes were wide with astonishment. "What? How? I mean, this is wonderful news but I did not know you were planning—"_

"_I wasn't. I cannot go into the circumstances, I am sorry. But I must speak with Queen Serenity immediately, for there will be consequences that must be dealt with." Seeing the look of worry on her friend and leader's face, she added "Don't worry. I won't be leaving the Guard. But I think I might need a little time off." She forced a smile and Venus gave her a hug. _

"_Of course. I will help arrange a meeting with her. Have you told the others?"_

_Ami shook her head._

…

"_Oh! What a beautiful boy. Look at him, my lady. Look at your son." Ami opened her eyes and peered down through the water at her newborn son where Aneira held him on his back. His body was relaxed and his face peaceful. He blinked his eyes at her, his tiny hands opening and closing around the warm water. She drew him up out of the water and held him to her chest, rubbing his back._

"_He is beautiful," she said, the tears threatening to fall. "My little Mercadian. He is truly a blessing." _

"_A strong name. He'll lead his people well, especially with you guiding him."_

…

"_So Queen Serenity has allowed you some time to care for the boy?"_

"_Yes Father. I have until the next Planetary Summit, six months from now. Then we will go back to the Moon."_

"_We?"_

"_Yes sir. I will take Mercadian with me. Aneira will accompany us and help me with him so I can perform my duties."_

"_Hmm. I suppose that will work for a while. But he is the heir to Mercury. He must grow up here and learn our ways." He paused. "Of course the whole manner of his conception defies rational explanation. Did you know many of our people actually believe there was some kind of divine involvement? Many of them believe it was Serenity herself, giving back an heir for the one she took. It's preposterous of course…"_

_She said nothing. She'd been asked time and again how he had been conceived. It did not matter._

_Her father continued on in her silence. "Still, we are fortunate it has happened. I was concerned when you gave up your right to the throne to join Serenity's Guard. You were my only child. I was not going to have our planet torn apart by petty squabbling. But it seems we have found our answer."_

"_Don't worry Father, he will do well."_

…

"_No! Father, I'm sorry. He is not ready to come back to Mercury. He needs me."_

"_What he needs is to start learning his role as Mercury's leader. He can't do that on the Moon."_

"_He is only three. There is time yet."_

"_Do you realize he speaks their language better than his own tongue? You keep him there, filling his head with the ridiculous idealism of those people when he should be here learning our ways."_

"_The people there may be idealistic, but they are not ridiculous. They are kind and generous, and their people thrive. You would do well to take a page from their book. Look at our people! Look at some of our outdated, useless laws that hold them back! The Moon people love and respect Serenity, but here your rule is stern. People fear you as much as respect you—." She felt the sting of his hand across her face._

"_You will not speak to me like that. You will leave now, and Mercadian will stay behind—"_

"_No! He is my son—"_

"_You have no son." His words hit her harder than any blow. "You sacrificed the rights to your child when you decided to join Serenity. You gave up your lineage then willingly, because you knew that you wouldn't be able to keep our culture and our ways intact having spent so much of your time and energy there. The same is still true with your son. Now, you will still be allowed visits. You can see him of course when you come home, and he will be allowed occasional visits to the Moon. But that is all. You know this is for the better. It is for the good of your planet and your people."_

…

_The meeting finally came to a close and Mercury left quickly in order to find her son. She would be leaving again and she wished to say goodbye. She checked the pool where she left him with Aneira, but neither of them were there. She then checked her quarters, his room, and then Aneira's. A glance out the window turned her unease into panic as she watched dark storm clouds gather and a fierce storm unleashed itself on the castle. Mercadian was in trouble. _

_She ran at that point through the halls, looking for some sign of him. She heard a large explosion and a scream and when she turned the corner she could see Aneira crumpled at the end of the hall. A man with bright orange hair hastened away with something thrown over his shoulder. Ferios had returned._

_Mercury wasn't sure where she found the speed. Perhaps fear pushed her on faster than she knew she could move. It wasn't long before she was close enough to see that it was indeed her son he held. She could hear his taunting voice float back to her along with a crazed, insane laughter._

"_And you thought I was finished. Now he is mine."_

_She followed them through the halls, gaining on them, almost close enough to attack. But in the end she couldn't, not with her son in her path. When he reached the end of the hall Ferios stopped and turned around, making his parting comments before disappearing with Mercadian._

…

Makoto wrung out the washcloth again and wiped down Ami's distressed face. "I wish I knew what to do. I can't even see what's hurting you, let alone protect you from it. Instead I'm stuck out here watching you suffer." All of a sudden Ami was sitting up and holding onto her, her shoulders shaking as she once again broke down in sobs.

"It's okay Ami. We're here for you." She squeezed her tight and whispered in her ear. "I'm here for you."

Eventually she relaxed and Makoto gently eased her back so she was lying down again on her side. Beneath her Ami's lips moved. "Mako-chan…don't let go," and she slipped back into the hold of her memories.

"I won't. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." Makoto blushed slightly. Even if she was no longer aware, Ami held Makoto's arm against her chest in a death grip that left her in an awkward position. She managed to wiggle her other arm out from underneath the blue-haired girl, but the only way she could stay there comfortably would be to lie down curled up around her with her captive arm looped over Ami's waist, closer than Makoto had anticipated being and likely much much closer than Ami would be comfortable with were she awake. But it was either that or spend the rest of the night sitting there with her back torqued awkwardly while her arm remained firmly in Ami's clutches, quickly losing feeling.

As time wore on Makoto noticed Ami became more and more relaxed. Her breathing was less labored and her wordless muttering had all but stopped. With the hand pressed against Ami's chest Makoto could feel her heartbeat slow down and even out. She wasn't sure if it was just that the visions she was experiencing were less taxing or if maybe her presence had something to do with it.

It was only a little while longer before she completely stopped twitching and her breathing became deep and even. Makoto was fairly certain her visions had finally stopped and that she had passed smoothly into a deep, dreamless sleep. Makoto was just about to drift off herself when the door to Usagi's room cracked open, a thin line of bright yellow light falling across the bed. She turned her head to see the door open wider with Rei standing on the other side.

Rei had been wearing a look of concern when she opened the door, but when she saw the way Makoto was intimately curled around Ami she raised her eyebrow. "Should I come back?"

"No, No. It's fine," Makoto whispered, motioning her in. "Come on in. I'm kinda being held captive here," she said, indicating the arm Ami hadn't let go of.

"Is she okay?"

"I think so. I think she's just fallen asleep, so I guess we'll see in the morning how she is. How is everyone else?"

"We're doing alright—." She was interrupted by a second head popping through the door.

"How is—hey, you guys too?" Usagi yelped as Rei clamped a hand over her mouth, telling her to be quiet as she released her. "Sorry!" Usagi whispered loudly. She looked at Makoto, demanding an answer.

"No. I mean, not yet. But maybe," she added hopefully, smiling.

"Is Ami okay?"

"I think she's fine. She's just sleeping now."

"But she won't be for long if you don't keep it down Usagi," Rei scolded. "Anyway, we're all doing okay Mako-chan. Usagi's parents came home and we told them some kid's rogue baseball came in through the window. Kenji wasn't happy, but seeing Chibi-usa asleep on the couch kept him from blowing his top. We've all moved into Shingo's room for the night, so you two can stay here."

"Thanks. I mean, we could probably wake her up now, but she needs the sleep. I think we all do."

"I'm glad we didn't let Luna come check on you guys. Could you imagine her reaction?" Usagi stifled a giggle. "Well sleep tight you guys, we'll see you in the morning."

"Night."

…

Ami snuggled in closer to the body curled behind her and tightened her grip on the arm she held onto. An earthy scent with a hint of rose that she knew belonged to Makoto filled her nose as she breathed in deeply. She refused to open her eyes to the low sunlight of the early morning.

"Mm…I wish this wasn't just a dream," she said.

"It doesn't have to be you know," a voice responded.

Ami tensed and opened her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Makoto continued. "I didn't think you'd be very comfortable waking up like this but you didn't seem too keen on giving my arm back either."

Ami blushed and looked down at Makoto's arm she held into her chest, their hands melded together, fingers interlaced. "Oh, s-sorry," she stammered. She relaxed her grip and separated their fingers, but still the arm didn't move. "Mako-chan?" She turned to face her.

"Like I said, it doesn't have to be a dream if you don't want it to be." Makoto's eyes were bold and serious, her face blazing the same hard look it did when they were stargazing. Ami drew in her bottom lip timidly as she watched Makoto's eyes flick down and back up again. _Kami, it's really happening. _She closed her eyes and yielded herself to the feel of Makoto's soft, full lips pressing against her own, lost in the sensation of it, the taste...the gentle touch of Makoto's fingers as they brushed her hair behind her ear, her thumb stroking her cheek, the way she pulled Ami's bottom lip as she let go. When they parted Ami still did not open her eyes but shyly ducked her head down, feeling disoriented and breathless.

It was a few moments before either of them spoke up. "You know, you never told me what it is you wish for."

"I…It would appear you already knew…"

"No…But I hoped. Honestly I should have known, with all the signs you gave me. But then again I didn't even know what I wanted, even though it was there staring me in the face all along." Ami finally looked at her and she continued. "I mean, I've always cared about you. I've always felt closer to you than I had to any other friend. It never occurred to me that we could be something more, not until recently. But then things made sense to me. I found a place where I could define my emotions, the way I really feel about you."

Ami smiled slowly. "I just can't believe this is real. I still feel like I'm dreaming." She knitted her eyebrows together as the events and her memories from the night before came rushing back to her. "Thank you Mako-chan, for being there for me last night."

"Are you doing okay? I know you must have gone through a lot. We were all worried about you."

"I'll be okay. I did go through a lot last night, even after Kiriko was taken. He is my son, Mako-chan, Sailor Mercury's son from the Silver Millennium. My dreams last night…they were all memories about him, about Mercadian."

"I know. I mean, Minako remembered him. She filled us in on what she could last night. She figured you were probably getting your memories back and that's why you were…out of it. I wish I had known. We could have done something to save him."

Ami stared up at the ceiling. "I should have told you all. But I wasn't even sure if the visions I was having were true. And I was afraid…"

"Afraid of what? That we'd treat you different? Look at Usagi and Chibi-usa. We wouldn't do that to you Ami."

"No. I know," she said, looking back at Makoto. "But this is different. Chibi-usa belongs in the future. She can go back, and she does. But Kiriko…there isn't a past for him to go back to. He's here to stay, and I am his mother. I'll be the one to take care of him, and I wasn't ready for that. I wasn't ready for things to change."

"We're all in this together; you won't have to do it alone." Makoto squeezed Ami's hand and she smiled gratefully.

Silence fell between them while Makoto tried to work out what she wanted to say next. "I um, I'm glad to see you're you again."

"What do you mean?" Ami asked, though she half knew what was coming.

"Well, just that last night you were, well, different. You're always so calm. When we fight you keep your head on straight even when things get sticky. But last night you were the one who was reckless, and we couldn't even get close enough to help… It was scary Ami. It was scary seeing you like that."

Ami didn't want to meet Makoto's eyes, but she did, and there she saw that Makoto wasn't lying. Ami could see the fear there and she knew that if Makoto cared for her as much as she seemed to, that it must have been terrible for her to have to stand there and watch without being able to help. That is how Ami would have felt anyway.

"I'm embarrassed Mako-chan. I'm embarrassed that I let my emotions get the better of me. I usually have better self-discipline than that."

"Hey now, don't take this the wrong way. We all have emotions, and they've gotten us all into trouble. We just don't usually see it happen to you. You're allowed to have feelings…I don't want you bottling them up either. I was just saying that I'm glad that you are back to yourself this morning. I was afraid that you'd wake up just as upset as you went to sleep and that we'd have to tie you up to keep you from hunting Ferios down. Not that we don't want to get Kiriko back, but I don't want to have to see you like that again."

This was the sentiment everyone else echoed later once they had all awoken and gathered in Usagi's room and Ami reassured them, as she had Makoto, that it wouldn't happen again.

"I don't think you need to worry, honestly. I don't believe it will happen again. I believe part of the reason I was so unstable last night was that my mind wasn't exactly my own. I've been having visions from the Silver Millennium for the last few weeks but they were usually short and without emotion. But then earlier this week I had a particularly emotional vision where the effects stayed with me long after. Last night was similar. Even as I was fighting I was only half-here, the rest of my consciousness playing memories from the past. It was all very emotionally charged; I was experiencing not only losing Kiriko now, but also when Sailor Mercury lost her son in the past.

"But now that I have those memories in here," she tapped her head, "I can easily separate myself from them and it is unlikely they will overwhelm me again."

"I can understand that," said Minako. "I awakened to most of my memories quite awhile ago, but it wasn't until later that I started having fairly vivid visions about Rei and I in the past, and this was before Rei had even a clue. Some of them left me feeling pretty flustered, especially when we'd have to meet or fight shortly afterwards. But once I got enough context to realize what was going on it made it easier for me to shut them down so to speak."

"So what kind of visions?" Rei asked her, wiggling her eyebrows devilishly.

"Guess I'll have to show you later," she teased.

Everyone else groaned, except for Usagi who had already started talking. "Well I'm glad you're okay Ami. Just don't scare us like that again." She smiled. "And we'll get Kiriko back, don't worry."

"I'm not worried. I know we'll find him."

Usagi looked from Ami to Makoto and back again, noting how very close they sat, wanting so badly to ask but not wanting to screw anything up. "So, umm…are you two…"

Makoto caught on pretty quick and threw her arm around Ami's shoulders. "Yup," she said, pecking Ami on the cheek.

Ami blushed a deep crimson and began gathering her things. "Right, well I'd better be off then. My mom and I are going to have lunch so I'd better go. See you all tomorrow at school!"

At first Makoto was taken aback by Ami's frenzied rush but then she got up and stood in front of the door before she could leave. She spoke softly, almost in a whisper. "Not till tomorrow? I thought maybe we could go out or something tonight."

Ami stopped her rush out the door and smiled at Makoto. "I need to spend some time with my mom. But we'll have all week. I'll see you tomorrow." She took her hand and squeezed it before leaving.

…

That afternoon Usagi spent agonizing minutes pretending to be busy with homework while keeping an eye on Luna. After what seemed like forever she watched as Luna slowly closed her eyes and slipped into the light sleep of one of her daily catnaps. Usagi tiptoed out of the room and down the stairs, avoiding the questioning look Shingo gave her as she passed him still tiptoeing through the front door. Fairly certain that Luna wouldn't catch her now that she was out of the house, she walked quite normally the rest of the way to Ami's apartment.

It wasn't that she was trying to hide her visit from Luna, but she knew Luna would've wanted to come along and she probably wouldn't have approved of what Usagi wanted to say. Usagi hadn't forgotten the tense moment between Luna and Minako the night before.

"Usagi-chan!" Ami opened the door, surprised anyone would come over this afternoon.

"Hi Ami. Did you have a good lunch with your mom?"

"I did, it was delightful. It seems like we hardly see each other anymore. What brings you over here? Did you need some help with homework?"

"No, I just wanted to talk."

"Oh…well come on in, I'll put on some tea." Ami motioned her in to the living room and came out to join her a short while later with two cups in hand.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Ami asked, not entirely sure of what to expect.

"I just wanted to make sure that you are really okay."

"I'm fine, really. It just takes some time getting used to, knowing that I have a kid out there that I never even gave birth to….well, not in this lifetime."

"I know what you mean. When I found out Chibi-usa was my kid from the future! I mean, I already cared about her of course, but it still changes things, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does," Ami smiled.

"We would do anything to protect them, and not just their lives. We'd do anything to keep them from hurting, to keep them innocent. I know how hard it is for you to sit here knowing that he's out there and that someone is using him as their own tool to do terrible things."

Ami didn't know what to say.

"I don't blame you for the way you fought last night. Don't think anyone thinks any less of you. We were shocked is all. I've never seen you fight so single-mindedly, so intensely. You were so powerful. We were in awe as much as we were in fear. And we felt terrible just knowing that you were hurting so badly to drive you to that.

"I just want you to know that we are going to get him back. We are going to find them, and when we do I will get him back to you, the way he was before, before Ferios. I will get him back no matter the cost. I'll save him as if he were my own son, because you are my dear friend and because he deserves no less. And in the mean time you have someone to talk to if you need to."

"Thank you Usagi." And Ami meant it. She had told everyone she was fine, but deep down she still felt guilty about losing Kiriko and embarrassed for how she let it get the better of her. It was a relief hearing from Usagi that everything was okay, that she was justified in how she acted and how she felt. And it was a relief knowing that there would always be someone who understood how all this was affecting her.

…

Makoto knew she should have studied for Monday's test a little harder, but she had been so distracted at the time. Now here she was on Wednesday running headlong through the halls clutching the sack in her hands as she tried to make it halfway across the school and back before her teacher failed her on the make-up test too. She rounded a corner and made for the tree her friends were sitting under across the courtyard.

"There you are Mako-chan. Did you bring me a lunch today?"

"Not you, Usagi. This is for Ami," she said panting. She turned to the blue-haired girl who had been lounging against the tree with her legs out in front of her and a book in her hand. It was a nice day out and she was wearing shorts, Makoto noticed, her eyes lingering on Ami's slender bare legs.

"I brought you a bento today Ami-chan," she held out the package, blushing slightly. "I hope you like it."

Ami smiled as she took it. "I always like everything you make, Mako-chan. Thank you. Are you going to sit down and eat with us?"

Makoto nodded and was half-sitting when she remembered why she was in a rush to begin with. "Oh! No, I can't. Gomen Ami, but I have to retake a test. I've gotta get back! Wait. Usagi, don't you have to retake it too?"

"Oh no, that's today?" Makoto grabbed Usagi's hand and the two of them zoomed back into the school.

Ami followed them with her eyes and pretended to grimace. "And they both told me they studied. Oh well, at least I have you to eat lunch with, Minako. I take it you studied?" She opened the bento box and smiled.

"Oh, uh, well enough I guess!" she said, avoiding Ami's eye. "Anyway, I'm kind of glad they aren't here, because there is something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

Ami wasn't surprised. It seemed everyone wanted to talk to her lately. "Oh? What about?"

"A couple of things, though they are related. The first is about you and Makoto." Ami looked at her warily, but Minako smiled reassuringly. "I'm glad you guys finally quit beating around the bush and came clean with each other about how you feel. It was rather painful watching the two of you… Of course, if Makoto wasn't so thick-skulled anyway." She laughed and Ami laughed with her.

"I don't know, just because some of us know what we want right off… I honestly thought this would never happen. Although I must confess I'm a little concerned that everyone else seemed to know how I felt about her. I thought I was doing better than that."

"Oh don't be so hard on yourself. I'm the goddess of love, of course I knew!" Her face grew serious. "But regardless of how happy I am for you and how happy you two will be, I have to remind you that we have a duty to protect Usagi and we can't let anything stand in our way of that, even the love that we may share with each other."

"I know—"

"I know you know. I just have to say it, because I'm the leader. Honestly, I'm not worried about you in this case. You can keep your head on straight, and you know our greatest priority." Ami nodded her head.

"The same goes for Mercadian, or Kiriko. I know the other night was an exception, and I know you won't let it happen again. And we are going to find him. Luna and Artemis are doing all they can even as we speak. But when we find him, we have to accept that we might not be strong enough. We might not get him the first time. No matter what happens, we cannot put Usagi in danger."

"Of course not. I wouldn't do that."

"I know Ami. Again, you're not the one I really worry about here. But Usagi…you know what a softie she is. She would do whatever she could to get him back, but we can't let her do anything to jeopardize herself. We also have to watch out for Chibi-usa, because she is also in a way our princess, and we already know she's a target. If it comes down to it, it's better to retreat and regroup than do anything disastrous, and I'm counting on you to help us all keep that in mind if the time comes."

"I won't let you down Minako. I know we have to keep her safe, both of them. That's always been our mission. I know I kind of lost it the other night, but it won't happen again."

"I know. I'm not saying all this because I don't trust you, I'm saying it because I have to. It was either me or Luna, and I don't trust Luna not to let certain things get in the way."

"What do you mean?" Ami was confused.

"It's just something from the Silver Millennium. Apparently even after all this time she still can't let it go." She sighed. "Luna was never comfortable with you having a child. Even though Queen Serenity gave you her blessing, Luna thought it was foolish of you to attempt to raise a son while also being part of the guard. Don't get me wrong. She didn't think any less of you; she just didn't understand. I think in the end she was impressed with how you handled yourself, especially when he went missing."

Ami looked troubled. Even though they had assured her that her being a mother didn't change how they perceived her, she wasn't so sure now.

"Please don't let this get to you. You are Ami. Yes, you are also Sailor Mercury from the Silver Millennium, but that is only part of you. We don't judge you based on what happened then and even if we did, there is nothing that you've done in this life or that one for you to be ashamed of. Mercadian was your light, and there is nothing wrong with that. Don't go regretting anything."

"You're right. He was a wonderful boy. He still is." Ami paused, considering her next question. "Minako?"

"Yes?"

"I don't know how much I confided in you back then, but I know you were the first I told. Nothing in my memories showed me anything about his father… I was just wondering if I ever told you. It's just that I am obviously not very interested in men now and it's a little awkward thinking that I had been with one in the past.

"No," the blond answered slowly. "There was no man in your life. And you swore that you hadn't been hurt, if that's what you are worried about. But you never told me…you never told any of us."

"I don't understand. In my visions it seemed people thought it was some kind of divine power. That seems so illogical to me, but was it possible? Is that why he has powers?"

"I don't really know, Ami-chan. I'm sorry. If it makes you feel better, I'm pretty sure you told Serenity what happened, and she supported you whole-heartedly."

"Yes…I suppose that makes me feel a little better. Thanks Minako." She sighed as her classmates started walking back into the building. "Mako-chan wouldn't be very happy if she knew I didn't get a chance to really enjoy the lunch she made me. I guess I'll have to save it for a snack later."

…

"Studying tonight?" Makoto asked as she looked over at Ami who'd pulled out a handful of textbooks and notebooks and was arranging them on the table. Ami was able to spend a few evenings at home with her mom, but the doctor was back on nights now and as was often the case Ami sought out company with Makoto instead of staying at home alone.

"Oh. Yes, I thought I might." She looked guilty. "I would be looking for Kiriko, but I honestly can't seem to get any better than a 99.9 percent probability that he isn't on Earth, which still leaves the possibility that he and Ferios are operating from another dimension, from space, or even an alternate timeline, and fretting about it doesn't seem to be getting me any closer. I'm going to wait and see what everyone has to say tomorrow."

"That makes sense to me. Although that wasn't what I was getting at. Today's Friday! It always seems like a waste to me to study on Fridays. Don't you forget it all by the end of the weekend?"

Ami smiled. "No. And I have cram school tomorrow, don't forget. Besides, studying is never a waste."

"Hmm…" Makoto wasn't so sure. She could think of a handful of things she'd rather be doing with her girlfriend besides studying. But then again, if she pestered Ami too much, she'd probably get roped into studying along with her. Makoto shot a glance at her schoolbag that sat dejected in the corner of the room. With any luck it would stay there until Sunday, the proper day to do homework. "Well just let me know when you'd like to move on to something potentially more entertaining."

Ami smiled from where she sat at the table and continued with her studying. After a while she set down her pen and looked at Makoto who was stretched out on the couch, apparently absorbed in a paperback novel. "Thank you Mako-chan."

"What for?" Makoto leaned her head back over the arm of the couch so she could see her.

"For not pushing me about this whole Kiriko/Mercadian thing. You haven't grilled me for details or hovered over me, reassuring me every three seconds that everything will be okay and we'll get him back. Not that I'm angry or annoyed with the others. I know they care about me and I appreciate it. But I also appreciate having a little bit of space. And you've given me that over the last week. I'm just not used to being the center of attention, that's all, and I'd rather not be. Thank you for being patient with me."

Makoto flipped over on her stomach so she could talk to her more comfortably. "Of course, Ami. Don't mention it. If there is one thing I've learned about you over the years, it's that you won't talk about something unless you want to, no matter how much we may pester you. But I hope you know that if you ever do want to talk about it, or anything for that matter, you can always come to me."

A grateful smile was her response. "I know." Ami looked back toward her books and sighed. One by one she closed them shut and gathered them all into a pile. "It's just so strange, you know? On the one hand he is my son, and I've been separated from him for thousands of years. My heart aches to have him here, and it hurts to know that he's out there and that I'm no closer to getting him back. But at the same time he is still the little boy we found randomly out in the storm and took care of for a while. I'm at the center of it all, but at the same time I can look at it from the outside; I can stay apart from it and keep those emotions in check. Does that make me a bad parent? Is it wrong of me? I feel like I've abandoned him, but at the same time I really don't know what else I can do."

"I don't think it means any of that. There really isn't anything we can do at the moment, not without more information. And we all feel a little helpless. But at least we know he isn't in any danger, not immediately anyway. If nothing else, Ferios is keeping him alive and well."

"I suppose." Ami got up from the table and sat in the chair next to Makoto. "It is just all so very strange still. It seems like I finally just got comfortable with Mercury the fighter, but now Mercury the mother? My past self keeps surprising me with new things I have to work into my life, work into my sense of myself."

"What do you mean?"

"Well it's like the first time I realized I was a senshi. My dream was to grow up and be a wonderful doctor, to save lives. But then here was this cat telling me I'm actually a soldier and I had to fight to find and protect my princess. That wasn't me. I wanted to be a healer. I felt everyone deserved a chance at life and that no life was more important than another.

"But I grew to be comfortable with it. I found it easier to place a higher value on Usagi's life because she was so selfless herself, and I found that could help protect her in my own way, most of the time without ever actually having to hurt other people. But now Mercury throws another loop at me. A mother? Yes, my dream always also included growing up and raising a family. But that was supposed to happen with time, in conjunction with my career. I wasn't supposed to be sixteen with a child I never even gave birth to, and then with my memories came a whole new set of emotions I wasn't ready for. My whole world has turned upside down again and I don't really know how to go forward from here. How do I finish high school? What am I supposed to do about college? And where do I even begin when it comes to telling my mother why I suddenly have a son I have to care for?"

Makoto reached her hand over, placing it over Ami's. "I think you are worrying too much. I know it's a lot to think about, but we'll make it through. We're all in this with you. You'll finish school just fine, and you'll get into the best university out there, even if it means going to Germany, or America, or wherever you happen to go. We're all behind you, whatever you decide to do."

"I'm not leaving for school." Ami said with a certain tone of finality. "I'm going to stay in Japan, probably right here in Tokyo."

"Really?" Makoto was obviously surprised by this, although she tried to hide her relief. "Why's that?"

"In the end there is just no way I could leave you all… You know, for years my dream was to be an excellent doctor, to live up to my mother's reputation and expectations. And that is certainly still my goal. But going to the absolutely best school and studying under the best instructors is no longer so important, not since I met Usagi, or any of you for that matter. I have realized that there is so much more to life than studying and learning. Love, loyalty, and friendship can mean so much more than brains, and they can sometimes be so much more effective when healing than modern medicine."

Ami continued on. "Over the last few years it feels like I have learned more from all of you than I have from my books. Not that studying isn't still important, but I feel the truly meaningful lessons have been outside of school. I have the feeling it will always be that way; so how can I learn to be the best doctor out there if I leave my best teachers behind?

Makoto shook her head. "I think you give us too much credit. You are compassionate and kind-hearted; you would be a wonderful doctor with or without us. But it's funny, isn't it, how much Usagi changed all our lives? Here I was, this outcast with no parents, no family, and no friends. Rumors were always ahead of me, and it scared everyone away. But she didn't even pay attention to all that. None of it mattered to her. Now she's given me a family, and beyond that she's given my life direction and a purpose. I guess realizing I was Sailor Jupiter was easier for me to accept than it was for you. I've always fought to protect people. The difference is now the people I defend actually care about me."

She stood up suddenly and tugged on Ami's arms, pulling her out of the chair. "Enough of that though. There is something I want to do, something I never thought I'd have an excuse to do again. Will you dance with me?"

Ami blushed just a little. "Of course," she said.

Makoto turned on the stereo, the soft, mellow tones of a piano filling the room. "I thought something slow kind of suited the mood."

"I like it, it's very nice. Who is this?" Ami asked as she stepped into Makoto's arms. The two of them turned slowly on the spot, close but not too close.

"Yusuke Amade. Usagi turned me on to him, actually." She saw the surprise on Ami's face and laughed. "I know, it's a little mature for her, isn't it?" Ami laughed with her.

The song was a long one, but Ami didn't mind. She had been a little nervous when they started dancing and had maintained a small distance between them. But as the music wore on she became more comfortable, and had no objections when Makoto slid her hand from her waist to the small of her back.

"You're a really good dancer you know," Makoto said softly in her ear. "Maybe the next time the school has a dance we could go."

"I would like that very much." Ami rested her head against Makoto's chest and closed her eyes. _How nice it would be if I could just stay here forever, right here in her arms where the rest of the world and all its problems may as well not exist._

Makoto sighed softly. "It got late on us."

"Mmm. Mmhmm." They continued dancing even after the song wound down and the music stopped.

"We should probably be getting to bed."

Again Ami murmured an affirmative, but still neither of them stopped. Ami wasn't ready to go to bed. That would mean facing the awkward dilemma of where she'd be sleeping tonight. But she couldn't put it off forever. She stifled another yawn and let go of Makoto. "I suppose you're right." She moved over to the couch and unfolded the blanket thrown over the back of it.

Makoto watched her feeling a little disappointed. "You know, you don't have to sleep on the couch if you don't want to—I mean, we could, you know…" She trailed off, feeling embarrassed. "I just—I've never slept as well as I did the other night, when we…so if you wanted to…Unless you'd rather sleep on the couch, that's cool. I'd understand."

"No, I'd love to. If you are comfortable with it, that is." Ami smiled, glad that they had both been thinking the same thing. "I'll just go put my pajamas on then."

After she'd changed and brushed her teeth, Ami walked slowly into the bedroom where Makoto was already lying down. She smiled at her and scooted over, making room for the smaller girl. Ami turned out the light and crawled in, snuggling in close to Makoto.

"Goodnight Mako-chan."

"Goodnight Ami." Makoto leaned over and kissed her on the cheek before settling back and closing her eyes.


	7. Chapter 7: Skeleton in the Past

**A/N: **Another long wait, my apologies. Someday life may slow down just a little, but not for me, and not for these guys either. Read and enjoy, and please review.

Disclaimer: I'm only borrowing Sailor Moon

* * *

**The Peril Within **by Sunkissed Sapphire

Chapter 7: Skeleton in the Past

It was a sleepy afternoon, but the relative calm blanketing the neighborhood was soon to be broken by the horrendous squealing of tires as a yellow convertible rounded the street corner, leaving the acrid smell of burnt rubber behind. It zipped along the street, deftly dodging bicyclists, parked vehicles, and the old man walking his equally ancient dog, who shook his fist at the speeding car as it passed by. As the car approached its destination the driver slammed on the brakes, expertly sliding the car to a neat stop in front of the house.

"I don't know Haruka-papa. Sometimes I think you forget that we aren't on the race track."

The tall blond mocked offense as she climbed out of the car. "What are you talking about? There was nothing wrong with my driving."

Hotaru giggled. "I don't think Setsuna-mama much appreciated your driving." Next to her Setsuna said nothing, somehow maintaining a calm, dignified presence despite her very windswept appearance.

"Hmph," grunted Haruka from somewhere in the car's trunk. "Well have fun with the rest of these bags then. But for those who do enjoy my driving, I'll be more than happy to carry their things. Michiru? Shall we?" She offered her hand to her partner in the front seat and helped her out of the car, the two of them heading for the house.

"Oh man!" cried Hotaru when she saw the size of the suitcases left in the car. Who knew the trunk even had that much space! She could easily fit into either of them. She turned to yell at Haruka but stopped when something in the upstairs window caught her attention: a silhouette of a girl with long pigtails and curious odango-shaped bunches on her head. "Setsuna-mama!" she whispered.

Usagi ducked down from the window, cursing silently. How did they get home so soon from the airport? Of course everyone else was probably all set up and in place downstairs. She would be down there with them, but no, at the last minute Minako just had to ask her to take a package upstairs to put on Haruka and Michiru's bed and now she was stuck up here while everyone else was downstairs ready to surprise them.

Voices on the other side of the door caused her to curse again and throw herself in the very first hiding spot she could find, under the bed, still clutching the package. What on earth were they doing upstairs? Shouldn't everyone have popped out and surprised them? Were they waiting on her? Her thoughts were interrupted by the suitcase that fell just inches from her nose with a very loud bang.

"It's so nice to be home." Haruka unzipped the suitcase and began pulling things out and putting them on the bed.

"Mmm," Michiru agreed.

"Hotels can be nice and all, but there is something to be said about sleeping in your own bed."

"Oh? Who said anything about sleeping?" Michiru asked coyly.

Haruka gave a little 'Oh!' in surprise and Usagi flattened herself as much as possible as a body sank into the bed above her. Blushing, she clapped her hands over her ears and shook her head. This was NOT where she wanted to be at the moment. Then the weight shifted above her and she pulled her hands back away from her ears as she watched as Michiru's legs disappeared into the bathroom.

"Yeah, you're right," Haruka said. "I guess I'll go help them out. Those suitcases were a little big."

Haruka got up off the bed and headed out of the room. Usagi glanced toward the closed bathroom door and back again to the bedroom door where Haruka just left. This was her chance. She scooted quickly out from under the bed and tiptoed across the room and out into the hall. She followed Haruka undetected as they walked down the stairs and Usagi gained hope. She was close. She could see the couch she should be crouched behind at this moment. She was almost there. She –she almost bumped into Haruka who'd stopped to investigate something on the floor at the foot of the stairs: confetti. Usagi's feet stopped but the rest of her body didn't and she threw her hands into the air to keep her balance. It worked and Usagi gave a silent sigh of relief.

Or maybe not so silent. Directly below her, Haruka froze. Usagi froze. Then it seemed they both simultaneously noticed their shadows on the wall opposite them where Usagi appeared to be standing menacingly over the crouched Haruka with her arms oustretched and her fingers like claws. Haruka yelped and spun around quickly, throwing her back against the wall with her fists up.

"Holy shit! Odango! What the hell are you doing here?" Haruka relaxed her guard, putting her hand over her pounding heart.

"Gomen Haruka! I didn't mean to scare you. It was supposed to be a surprise party but then I had to go upstairs and then you came in and the others didn't come out so you guys came upstairs and I had to hide and so I followed you when you came back out then you stopped at the bottom of the stairs and I almost fell over but then I didn't fall over and—"

"Baka, you are always messing things up." The others had come out from where they were hiding and Rei started laying into Usagi. Chibiusa was about to join in when she saw her friend standing in the front door.

"Hotaru!"

"Chibiusa!" Everyone turned to see the two friends reunited.

Once they hugged Haruka eyed her daughter suspiciously. "Well _you _don't seem very surprised to see them."

Hotaru smiled at Setsuna and then Haruka. "Well that's what you get when you leave Setsuna-mama and I behind. You miss things."

"My goodness, is everyone here?" Michiru smiled at everyone as she came down the stairs. "What's all this for?"

"It was going to be a surprise welcome home party, but it seems that really didn't happen," Makoto answered her.

Minako was still enthusiastic. "But we're all here, we have food, and we all really want to hear about your trip, so we may as well make a party of it!"

And that is pretty much what they did. Seeing as it was such a nice day, they took everything outside and set up on the patio. They listened with rapt attention as Haruka and Michiru detailed their trip from Japan, through America, and into Europe as Michiru performed on stage, at times accompanied by Haruka on the piano.

"And, they'll be taking various pieces from Michiru's performances and creating an album."

"Wow Michiru, congratulations! You're so talented," said a slightly starry-eyed Minako. Michiru gracefully accepted the compliment.

"And you Setsuna? Did you get on stage and perform with them as well? Are you hiding some musical talent from us?" Rei asked.

"I'm afraid not. But how did you know I was with them anyway? I may have been at the time gates for all you know."

"Oh we know better than that," said Minako. "You've become too much of a family for you to be able to skip out on something as important as this. Besides, I can tell you were tanning right along-side them in southern France."

Setsuna said nothing but a small smile crossed her lips.

"So you have not been at the time gates at all then?" Ami spoke up in her soft voice.

"Not really, no. But I can still sense fluctuations in time even when I'm not there. Why?"

The inner senshi all exchanged looks before Minako took it upon herself to speak up. "Well, not to bring you back to reality too hard or fast, but we've had a little bit of a situation arise since you all left." They took turns filling them in on the attacks on children, Kiriko's sudden appearance, his alter-ego as Kadius, and the mastermind behind it all, Ferios. They also filled them in about Kiriko's true identity as Mercadian, and his relationship to Ami.

"As it stands now we still don't know where they are operating out of or how they even came to be in this time period. We wondered if maybe they traveled through time and whether or not you would know about it," Makoto summed up.

"I think I would have known if they had traveled here through time, and I don't know how Ferios would have obtained the means of traveling through time, so I do not believe that is the case. It is possible it is just coincidence, or perhaps they were biding their time until Ami re-awoke as Sailor Mercury."

"Wow. A new enemy, Chibi-usa's a target, and Ami is a mother. What else did you get up to while we were gone?" joked Haruka.

"Well actually, now that you mention it, there have been other…developments," Minako said as she slid her arm around Rei's waist."

"You're joking!" Haruka said, astonished.

"Not just us." Rei indicated Ami and Mako with a nod.

Haruka just laughed. "You _are_ joking." Then she caught the blush on Ami's face and the smile on Makoto's and she stopped. "Really?"

"Well congratulations to each of you," said Michiru, smiling at each couple. "It doesn't seem like the last couple of months have been too terrible to you then."

"No kidding," said Haruka. She moved to whisper in Makoto's ear. "I hope that doesn't mean I don't still have a chance then." Makoto looked confused and then she flushed a bright pink. She glanced over at Haruka trying to think of how to reply, but the racer was already distracted by something. Makoto followed her gaze to a lone figure approaching them from the street.

"You weren't expecting anyone, were you Michiru?" Haruka asked as she squinted past Hotaru and Chibiusa who were chatting animatedly away from the rest of them, but Makoto was the first to answer.

"It's Kadius. Chibiusa!" She launched herself at the two younger girls, shielding them from his blow. The three of them together soared through the air in a rain of dirt and debris. Under cover from the resulting cloud of dust, Makoto picked herself up off the ground wincing. "Chibiusa, Hotaru, are you two okay?"

The two girls nodded. They were lucky; Kadius' attack had been off aim, exploding on the ground just in front of them. Or perhaps he had meant to miss. Without wasting another second the three of them transformed. Somewhere nearby Makoto could hear the others doing the exact same. When the dust settled ten senshi stood facing a surprised Kadius.

"Looks like we have quite the party, don't we? Tell you what, let me have what I'm after and I'll go quietly. Then you can continue your little reunion."

Sailor Moon stepped forward. "Onegai, Kiriko. This isn't you. You don't want to hurt anyone. You are our friend."

"Kiriko is gone. Kiriko never was. I fooled you into believing me; it gave me an advantage in my quest."

"I don't believe you," she said quietly. "You are a sweet boy and a caring friend. You tried to protect Takeo that time at the daycare. That is your true self, come back to us." She held out the silver crystal toward him and began. "Moon Healing—"

"No!" Kadius interrupted her with a bolt of black lightning that collided with the light emanating from the silver crystal, negating its effects. "Well if you aren't going to cooperate then I am done playing nice. _Thunder Shock_!" A strong blast of energy rippled through the air, buckling the ground as it moved toward them and bringing them all to their knees, all of them but Uranus who had jumped and avoided the worst of it, letting loose her own attack once she landed. It was only a glancing blow but Kadius flew back several meters, skidding across the yard on his back.

"Everyone try to go easy on him. He is being brainwashed. We need to return him to his original state." Mercury's voice was calm and even, completely unlike the previous battle.

Venus nodded her head and took advantage of the small break afforded by the time it took Kadius to get back to his feet. "Mercury, Jupiter and Pluto will protect Chibi-moon while the rest of us work on Kadius. We'll wear him down until we can force him into submission. Keep an eye out in case Ferios decides to turn up." The others all nodded.

Mercury stood and cast her Shabon Spray, blanketing them all in a dense misty haze. She locked eyes with Jupiter who nodded she was ready and they grabbed Chibi-moon's hand. "Let's go."

"_Mars Flame Sniper_!"

"_Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"_

Everyone's voices echoed strangely in the thick fog as they tried to hustle the miniature princess to safety. Then a low, cold voice spoke out quietly next to them. "Ah, there you are. Trying to get away?" It seemed that in dodging the others' attacks Kadius landed right beside them.

"Take her and run!" Jupiter cried out as she threw a raging ball of lightning toward him, distracting him long enough for the others to slip back out of sight.

"Well this just isn't going to work. _Black Wind!_" Kadius' voice was followed by a strong gust of wind that cleared the fog away, leaving everyone very exposed, but none so much as Mercury, Pluto, and Chibi-moon who were only meters from him. "Found you again." He raised his hands and shot out black lightning toward the small pink-haired soldier.

"Chibi-moon!"

"Small Lady!"

"_Silence Wall_!" From halfway across the yard Saturn raised up a wall of energy, shielding Chibi-moon and the other two from his attack.

Kadius let out a guttural noise of frustration as he eyed the impenetrable shield surrounding his prey before it dissipated. He turned to look at the one who'd foiled him and a strange look crossed his face. His distraction cost him as a ball of lightning tore across the ground toward him, exploding on impact and sending him flying through the air. He bounced once and then struggled to his feet, his eyes throwing daggers at Jupiter. But he was not to be distracted. He shot a wild attack toward Saturn who stood slightly apart from the others, hoping to distract her from his next move. Then he once again turned toward Chibi-moon, his palms together and arms outstretched, a black energy building in front of his hands. "This time I'll have—"

"_Silence Wall_."

"Yours!" Kadius shifted his position just as the lightning released itself from his hands so that he was facing Saturn who was left completely vulnerable in her attempt to shield her friend. With no time to move or duck, Kadius' attack easily found its mark. Saturn's own shimmering ethereal pearl slid out from the base of her neck and she collapsed, losing her transformation as she fell to the ground.

"Hotaru!" All the senshi were shocked, but none of their cries compared to the anxiety and fear of one in particular. Faster than the wind, Uranus ran toward her fallen daughter only to be beaten there by Kadius.

"You bastard!" Uranus unleashed her fury on him, many of her punches finding their mark as she pressed him away from Hotaru, giving the others a clear shot at him. The inner senshi hesitated, not wanting to accidently combine their powers and kill him. But as for the others…

"_Deep Submerge_!"

"_Dead Scream_"

A double attack from two directions. With Kadius' full attention on the windstorm raining blows on him there was no hope. Uranus nimbly jumped out of the way as the attacks converged. The resultant blast was bright; the senshi all shielded their eyes from it, and when the light finally faded into nothing, they saw Kadius on his knees, his body swaying, his clothing singed and smoking, and his mind on the verge of collapse.

"If you're going to do it Sailor Moon, do it now." Uranus' voice was hard and bitter. She turned her back on the rest of them and walked toward Hotaru who was still unmoving. Neptune and Pluto joined her and looked around for her ethereal pearl, which was no longer there. The resultant blast from their attack must have knocked it away.

The rest of the senshi were in a daze, but Uranus' voice snapped them out of it. Sailor Moon nodded and glanced at Mercury, giving her a reassuring smile. "It's time to get him back." She raised the silver crystal into the air and called upon it to save Kiriko, to return his mind and body to his former self. "_Moon Healing Escalation_!"

They all watched with bated breath as a pure white light enveloped him, returning Kadius' form to that of the little boy they loved and cared for. Kiriko collapsed onto the ground, unconscious, his blue curls framing a peaceful face.

"Kiriko!" The inner senshi ran toward him, relieved that it had worked. But then a faint orange light surrounded his body and he vanished. Ferios appeared in the air, hovering over the spot where Kiriko had disappeared.

"Ha! You thought you could have him back?" he asked, directing his attention at Mercury. "I told you, the boy is mine."

"No! He is her son, and just a child. For you to use him like this is twisted and evil." Jupiter released a bolt of lightning at him, which he deftly dodged.

"Quiet!" He returned in kind with a low-powered burst of energy that caught Jupiter square in the chest, knocking her to back a few feet. He turned back to Mercury, though he now had everyone's attention.

"You hid him from me Mercury, but you should have known better. Did you think I wouldn't find out? Did you think you could raise him as a child of Mercury, _my son_ the heir to your wretched world of logic, and order, and reason?" His taunting voice was now filled with disgust and hatred, his face contorted into an angry snarl.

"What are you talking about? Kiriko, I mean Mercadien, is her son," Venus challenged. "I remember the day he was born."

Ferios surveyed them all curiously, noting their serious faces and the conviction in their voices. He laughed at them sardonically and turned once more to Mercury. "You mean they don't know? You never told them? What, were you ashamed? Or were you afraid they'd turn their backs on you. Or perhaps you thought it would jeopardize your son's future if his father's identity were known." His face once again grew dark and twisted. "Well let's get something straight Sailor Mercury. This boy will never be yours. He is my son, he wears my mark. He will not be a child of some second Silver Millenium, he will be the heir to the world of chaos that we will unleash together, and he _will_ be tool of your undoing." He spat at the ground at Mercury's feet.

"Oh, and I'll take that." Uranus knelt beside Hotaru, cupping her ethereal pearl in her hands. But the pearl disappeared suddenly, as did Ferios, leaving the ten of them behind, shocked and speechless.

Sailor Moon broke the silence first. "It's okay Mercury, we'll get him again, I know we will." She turned to also console the outers and Hotaru, but Uranus was already there in her face.

"Are you crazy? Didn't you hear him? The kid isn't brainwashed, he's his son. You can't 'get him back', he's gone." Uranus was bristling, her anger barely contained.

"No…you didn't know him," Sailor Moon protested. "He is a sweet boy. Ferios was just saying that—"

"You are so naïve! Look at her!" She indicated Mercury. "She's not even denying it."

"Haruka."

Uranus ignored her partner's soft, firm voice and continued. "She went and slept with some guy in the past because she was too weak to defeat him and now he and their child is out to destroy our world and you still defend them! And Hotaru has to pay the price."

In a flash Jupiter was in Uranus' face. "Don't you accuse Ami like that! You don't know what happened in the past. She would never have done something like that."

"How do you know!" Uranus shot back. "What do you think he meant?"

"Haruka." This time Neptune put her hand on Uranus' arm, which seemed to calm her down, slightly.

Her voice as hard as her eyes, Uranus made herself clear to the rest of them. "I will hunt them down and I will get Hotaru's pearl back. And if he gets in the way, well…I will not make any promises. My duty is to my princess and my senshi. I know my priorities." She turned around and picked up Hotaru before heading inside.

"Wait!" Jupiter wasn't done yet and she moved to follow them, but Mercury stopped her.

"Don't Mako-chan."

"No! This isn't over. Tell them you didn't—"

"I can't Mako-chan. I—I have to go. I have cram school." She de-transformed and began gathering her things. "Chibi-usa, why don't you go and check on Hotaru? I know you're worried." And with that she left. Makoto, who'd also shed her transformation tried to go after her, but this time it was Mars who stopped her, shaking her head.

...

Ami was numb, numb to the feel of her feet hitting the hard concrete as she walked, numb to the cool breeze that now blew through the city streets, carrying small bits of trash and debris that swirled about in the corners of the streets and buildings. Voices kept replaying in her head: Ferios', Haruka's, Sailor Moon's. But she was numb to those as well. She was numb to the passage of time, and she failed to notice when the afternoon slipped away into dusk and finally the world gave way to the gentle embrace of twilight.

She did not go to cram school. She didn't go home. If you asked her where she did go, she would not have been able to tell you. For the couple of hours following the fight she simply existed. She ignored the small voice tugging at the back of her mind, telling her that this was not the way to solve anything. Because she needed to be numb for right now. It kept away all the other things that lurked dangerously in the dark of her mind.

But eventually the numbness faded and Ami found herself sitting on the edge of a pier overlooking a large pond, the same pier where, years ago, they had left with Chibi-usa to the future and then later bid farewell. It felt so long ago, almost a different world. A different Ami. The pier was short; from where Ami sat her toes skimmed the top of the water and she traced circles in it, watching the ripples move away from her, distorting the reflection of the city lights and the moon. The voices she had kept at bay now crept back into her consciousness.

'_He is my son, he wears my mark.' _So that was it, Ferios was the father. Ami had wondered if there had been a father; now she wished she'd never known. But it explained things, such as why Kiriko had powers when he shouldn't have, and Ferios' vested interest in the boy.

'_No, you didn't know him.' _Did any of them know him? If Kiriko was his son from the beginning, did they even have a chance of saving him or was he inherently evil?

Behind her Ami could hear soft footsteps approaching, padding evenly on the old, creaky wood of the pier. Then the footsteps stopped, still some distance behind her. Ami ignored the rustle of clothing and further creaking from the boards that indicated the person had sat down. She didn't need to turn around to see who it was; only one of her friends had the patience to sit and wait for her to be ready. And when she was, Ami would be glad for the company. But for now she turned back to her thoughts, the voices that still clamored in her mind.

'_She went and slept with some guy because she was too weak to defeat him.' _It turned her stomach, hearing that. And then Makoto's absolute trust. _'Tell them you didn't.' _She couldn't, because she didn't know. No one knew. It could very well be the truth. There was no trace of a lie in Ferios' voice. Despite what Sailor Moon wanted to believe, he wasn't 'just saying that'. His disgust and anger for his son's intended future were genuine. Kiriko was their son, both of theirs, which meant Ami must have lain with him, with an enemy.

She felt dirty. The thought of having slept with him sickened her. The idea that she had betrayed her people and her friends eroded her confidence in her own integrity. And knowing that she still defended her son, and still loved him, made her feel even worse. _'Hotaru has to pay the price…I know my priorities.'_

"Was it wrong of us to try and save him after Hotaru was attacked, Rei? Do I have my priorities wrong?" She heard more rustling behind her and Rei's reflection appeared beside her own.

"I wouldn't put much thought into what Haruka said. It was the perfect opportunity for us. He had been severely weakened, to a state where we were most likely to succeed. And it seemed like the three of them would have no problem retrieving her pearl. Besides, Haruka can only say she puts her princess and senshi first because her daughter _is _a senshi.

"In any case," she continued, "you had little say in what happened this afternoon anyway. You did what Venus said and protected Chibi-usa, and kept out of it as much as possible. It's more than what anyone else would have been able to do in the same situation."

Her eyes still fixed on the water, Ami gave a small nod but said nothing.

Rei set her hand gently on her shoulder. "Haruka had no right to say those things about you. Even if she was really upset about what happened to Hotaru, she was harsh and thoughtless. And you had just as much of a reason to be upset as her."

Ami sighed and twitched her feet, the movement sending another cascade of ripples across the water. Haruka's words, as cruel as they were, were not her primary concern. She understood Haruka, she understood that pain. And she forgave her. The real problem she wanted to discuss was the same one Rei was dancing around, and Rei was the only one who'd be able to help her.

"Rei, I need to know." She broke her gaze off the water and directly into her friend's dark eyes. "I need to know how my son…was conceived." She swallowed down the unpleasant feeling that rose in her throat at the thought of it.

"I thought you'd ask," Rei said understandingly. "I think we can do it, but we should do it tonight. Now, if you are up to it." Ami nodded and Rei helped her to her feet, giving her a small, brief hug.

"Is Hotaru okay?" Ami asked as they left the park.

"Yes and no. She recovered okay, and she seems to be more or less herself. But she can't transform. It seems that being a senshi somehow protected her from the same personality changes the others seem to have undergone, but until we get her ethereal pearl back she is without her abilities. Hotaru seems fine with it though. She's taking it all very well. Chibi-usa on the other hand…"

"I imagine she's suffering from some survivor's guilt," Ami said, feeling a twinge of guilt herself. They had reached the bus stop and Ami sat down on the bench, looking at her feet.

"Well you know how she is; she swears up and down it's her fault, because if Hotaru hadn't tried to save her then she may have been able to protect herself. We all tried convincing her otherwise, but she's as stubborn with this as she is with anything else." Rei gave a small smile. "Minako and Usagi took her and Hotaru to the arcade to try and get their minds off it. Looks like the bus is here."

Ami looked up just as the bus pulled in front of them, opening its door in front of them with a wave of stale, warm air smelling like a cross between new carpet and gasoline. The girls flashed their bus passes at the driver and took seats in the middle. Ami stared out the window at the relatively empty street, her eyes moving from streetlight to streetlight as the bus rambled on. A feeling of apprehension began to grow in the pit of her stomach as they grew closer to the shrine. She needed to know…but did she really want to?

Ami slid aside the door and stepped into the room wearing the loose, flowing robes Rei had given her. Her friend was already seated in front of the fire, chanting, the steady rhythm coming to a stop when Ami closed the door.

"Are you ready?" she asked, moving aside to make room for Ami, who nodded without emotion and took a seat. "Okay. Now, you should know that once we start there will be no stopping. Once we induce the memory, it will take hold, and there will be no breaking that hold until it is over.

The unpleasant knot in Ami's stomach tightened, but she nodded again.

"It's going to be okay," Rei said quietly. She squeezed Ami's arm and smiled. "Whatever happens, you just have to keep in mind that it isn't real. It's in the past. Whatever pain or fear you feel, or anything else…it isn't really happening. It's important to remember that you are safe; you are here. He won't hurt you again."

Ami shook her head. "Rei, I know what you are thinking," she said slowly, "but I don't think that is what happened. I'm afraid that Haruka may have been closer to the truth. You see, I asked Minako about it before, since she has her memories. She said that I never told any of you how Mercadien was conceived, but at the same time I swore I hadn't been hurt. I'm afraid that it must have indeed been…consensual." She looked down, avoiding Rei's gaze.

Rei was silent a moment. "Then perhaps it was," she said finally, squeezing Ami's arm again. "And we will find out. But in the end you should know that whatever we find out, it won't change how we feel about you. We stand by you, no matter what may have happened. The real reason we are doing this is for your peace of mind. You deserve to know the truth. And even if it was consensual that doesn't mean it was a bad thing. No one knows the circumstances. So let's withhold judgment, okay?"

Ami nodded, though she remained unconvinced.

"Alright then, let's get started." Rei turned so that she faced Ami directly, and Ami did the same. The two of them sat cross-legged, their knees only inches from each other. The distance between them was bridged by their hands, Rei's over Ami's, their palms lightly touching. "Just relax."

Ami tried to relax. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to release the tension in her neck and shoulders and bidding her mind to be still. But the fire popping and sparking next to her was like a prod to her conscious mind every time, making her senses exponentially more sensitive. It was so unlike her own element, which was calm and soothing, and rhythmic in its own way. But the sporadic noises from the fire were anything but rhythmic. And where water was cool and embracing, the fire was harsh and dry, the heat washing over her in waves, burning on her cheeks. Or perhaps that was just her skin flushing as an uncomfortable thought crossed her mind.

"Will you see everything I see?" she asked tentatively.

"It's possible. The memories you are looking for are hidden away in your subconscious, which means you can't access them as you like. At times certain triggers can unblock the passages to the subconscious, such as what happened last Saturday. What I will be doing is trying to help unblock more of those passages and then act as a mirror, reflecting whatever memories back to you. I may see snippets, I may see nothing, or I may see it all. It is hard to say."

Ami nodded. There was no helping it really; whether or not Rei would see anything didn't change the fact that she needed to know. Period. She closed her eyes and tried once again to find peace in the flames. She imagined the heat as a cleansing force, something that went beyond her outer layers and permeated into the inner mind that was secret even to herself. She let herself relax into that heat, much like she would give herself to the hold of water, letting it completely surround and subdue her. Her breathing slowed. Her mind steadied. The crackling from the flames became steadier, more rhythmic, the sound growing in depth and giving off an echo, like footsteps. Her footsteps.

_She was walking down an abandoned corridor, her boots clicking against the floor. In the polished marble she caught her own reflection, that of Sailor Mercury. She kept to one side of the hallway, frequently checking behind her. She paused as she reached another corridor, glancing down one end and then the other. When she was positive no one was there she turned right and continued, counting doors as she passed them. _

_She stopped when she reached the fourth door on her left, which she eased open after making sure once again that no one was around. She slipped inside and gently closed the door behind her until it clicked shut. She was in some sort of laboratory; monitors and machines lined the walls with various cables and tubes that met in the middle of the room where another machine sat like a pedestal, supporting a column of a strange opaque substance somewhere between liquid and gas that rose to the ceiling, emitting a soft purple glow that lit the room. Why they were to meet here she had no idea. Seeing no one but the guard in front of her, Mercury breathed a small sigh of relief._

"_It is over Ferios." _

_He stood in front of her in his uniform, his orange eyes momentarily betraying his surprise. He recovered quickly, giving her a suave smile. "But we've only just started, Mercury, give it some time. It's only going to get better. Let me show you." He advanced toward her, his eyes traveling up and down her body."_

"_Enough," she said. "It is time to end this. I know you've been behind this so-called sickness, and you are finished. You have the option to leave here peacefully, now, and I will escort you, or—"_

"_You think you can stop me?" He snorted derisively. "This world is mine."_

"_Ridiculous. Even if I didn't stop you there are many others who would do what was needed. No one in this galaxy would allow Mercury to fall. You lost before you started." _

"_No. Your defeat will seal my victory. By the time anyone else makes it here this planet will be in my grasp and I will have an entire army under my control. But before I get too distracted—" He turned and shot a powerful blast of energy toward something to his right that was hidden behind the pillar. The color drained out of Mercury's face as she realized she had not, as she thought, beat Aneira here, but in fact her handmaiden had been in the room the entire time, under his control and hidden from view. She watched as her friend flew backward from the impact of the attack, her body skidding across the floor. From her chest erupted her ethereal pearl, abnormally large and discolored a sickly greenish-black. It hovered above her, pulsing._

_Mercury was on him in a heartbeat, mindless of her surroundings. She shot a steady blue pulse of energy toward him, which he dodged, ducking and rolling to his right from where he sent a powerful sound wave that exploded the monitors on the walls. Mercury threw herself flat on the floor before jumping up once more and continuing the battle. The room shook with the force of attacks that weren't finding their targets, attacks that instead hit the lab equipment and computers, filling the room with smoke and sparks. _

_No longer sure where Ferios was, Mercury summoned a wave of water that came down like a waterfall, pummeling the spot where she had just seen a flash of his orange hair. The water pounded the floor and sprayed in all directions, sizzling where it hit the walls and equipment, white-hot from absorbing all the extra energy in the room. Mercury kept her eyes on that spot as the room filled with steam, but once it dissipated he was gone. She spun around to find him crouched over Aneira, her pearl ascending into a gaping black hole that had opened in his chest. _

_In desperation Mercury summoned all her available energy into a dense ball of energy that she launched toward the two of them, hitting Ferios in the chest just as his flesh began to close around the pearl. His body exploded into a painfully bright light that rocketed around the room, ricocheting off the walls and ceiling at a frightening speed, too fast for Mercury to track its movement or predict its path. She simply stared as it bounced off the ceiling, hit a chair, smacked against the wall, flew through the column of purple haze, and before she could react, slammed into her gut, passing through her body. Dazed, she watched as the ball of light slowed down after that, turning tight spirals around the pillar before shooting up through the ceiling._

_She knelt stunned and winded on the ground, barely able to make out Aneira's ethereal pearl suspended above her, slowing descending back into her body. A horrible, ugly, and twisted voice echoed throughout the room, ringing in her ears. _"You'll pay for this Sailor Mercury. I will have my revenge." _The angry, hateful words slowly faded away, as did the rest of Mercury's consciousness._

...

Ami could feel her mind struggle to wake after the vision, but another voice sounded in her mind. _Not yet, _it said softly. _There is more. _She yielded to the voice and slipped once again into the oblivion of her subconscious.

_..._

_Mercury stared at the large set of doors in front of her. They were tall and white, ornately carved with elegant gold handles. Though the doors, like the rest of the palace, were warm and inviting, Mercury was nervous about going through them, an anxiety that kept her knuckles poised an inch from the door, unable to knock._

_Next to her, Venus put her hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. She knows you're coming. All will be well." She rapped smartly on the door and winked at Mercury before walking off. _

_Mercury turned back to face the daunting doors in front of her, taking a deep breath before pushing the door open and stepping inside. _

"_Ah, Sailor Mercury. Queen Serenity turned away from the window where she was standing and gestured at the chairs around her. Mercury was surprised to see that the room was quite comfortable with soft, cushioned armchairs and a wide view over a courtyard brightly lit by the morning sun. It looked more like a living room rather than a place for meetings and business. The rooms in her father's palace were always so formal. _

_Sailor Mercury bowed stiffly. "Queen Serenity-sama." The queen nodded and sat down leisurely in one of the chairs. Mercury also took a seat, placing her fidgeting hands in her lap. "Thank you for meeting with me. How are you this morning?"_

"_I am well my dear, thank you for asking. It will be another beautiful day today." She smiled out the window where the sunlight spilled in, bathing them in its warmth. Mercury couldn't help but smile as well. "How about you, how does this beautiful day find you?"_

"_I am also well my lady."_

"_Good. And your child?"_

_Mercury's mouth gaped open for a minute and her eyes widened in surprise as she looked from the queen to her own belly where her hand rested comfortably over her womb where she would soon be showing. "I—I did not know it was so obvious yet."_

_Serenity laughed softly. "It isn't, at least not to most. I just have a good sense about these things. I suppose this is why you wanted to meet with me?"_

"_Yes, my lady." Mercury was still at a loss for words. She was not used to being caught so off-guard._

"_So how is your child," Serenity asked, filling in the silence._

"_He is well my lady. Healthy. Growing." Mercury smiled in spite of herself._

"_A son then. How wonderful. You know already?" _

"_Oh, yes. I've been keeping a close eye on his development, and my scanners are capable of a DNA analysis even at this stage. There is no doubt it will be a boy."_

_Serenity allowed a small silence before speaking again. "And your father must be thrilled, now that Mercury once again has an heir, yes?"_

_Mercury shifted uncomfortably. "This would come as a blessing for my people. Mercury is in caught in political turmoil right now, a division between the people, and without an heir it is likely to fall into disarray when my father passes. But truth be told I haven't yet spoken of this to him, or to anyone else really. They will ask questions, questions that cannot be answered." _

_Serenity nodded but remained silent as Sailor Mercury paused, struggling to put her dilemma into words._

"_My son cannot be heir to Mercury," she said finally, fighting to maintain her composure as a great sadness welled in her heart. "When it comes to his heir, my father will be very particular as to the child's parentage, and my son is far from meeting those criteria." _

"_You are a fine young woman, Sailor Mercury, and your father should respect your choices as the rest of us do. I am sure the one you chose—"_

"_I didn't choose," Mercury interrupted. "I'm sorry my lady. I assume that you know I am not romantically involved. With anyone," she added after seeing the hesitation in Serenity's eyes. "My son's conception was rather…accidental. That is why I have been monitoring his development so closely. He was rather the unexpected consequence of a battle I had on Mercury during my visit last month. _

"_In short, a man—an alien came from outside this galaxy to Mercury with the intent of altering people to become chaotic and then harnessing their energy for his own purpose. I discovered his identity and confronted him just as he was attempting to capture the energy of my handmaiden. Somehow the attack converted his body into pure energy, which then ricocheted around the room before striking and passing through my body. I believe that it is the nature of his race to procreate through the sharing of energy rather than our more…physical means, and so by his energy passing through my body at a time when my own body was supercharged with energy, he impregnated me._

"_An accident," Mercury muttered. "Unexpected, but not unappreciated. Not unwanted. I love my son, even if he is not yet the size of my thumb." She was suddenly aware of the tears in her eyes. "But I cannot present to my father an heir who was fathered by his enemy. But I also cannot deny my son his birthright. And even if I lied to my father about my son's conception, what if Ferios' evil chaotic spirit is inherent? What if my son carries that legacy? I'd be handing my people a monster for a leader."_

_Serenity had sat quietly while listening to Mercury, but now it was her turn to speak. "Don't give up so soon. Do not be so ready to accept defeat. No man is destined from birth, and no evil can hold sway over a child's heart while he is loved and cherished. Your son deserves a chance. Who knows, he may end up one of the greatest leaders your planet has ever seen."_

_Mercury smiled at Serenity and nodded her head. "Thank you my lady."_

...

Once again Ami felt her mind slowly awaken as she became more and more aware of the popping and cracking coming from the fire and warmth of it against her skin. She opened her eyes to find Rei smiling at her. "I guess that answered a few questions for you then."

Ami nodded. "Yes. You saw it too then?"

"Most of it, yes. Do you feel better now?" Ami nodded again. "Sorry about pulling you back in the middle there. I could sense that those two memories were linked in your subconscious, and so I thought perhaps you would want to see them both."

"No—I mean, thank you. The first would have made little sense without the second. I am glad to know now what happened. I'll admit that what happened earlier today had me doubting myself just a little." Ami stood up and stretched out, her body stiff from sitting in that position for so long. She reached down to touch her toes, enjoying the stretch when Rei's communicator suddenly went off.

"Yes?" Rei spoke into the device.

"Rei." Ami could hear Minako's tinny voice coming through the speaker. "We think we found Kiriko. We're all set to go, but no one has heard from Ami."

"It's okay, she's with me. Why don't you meet us here at the shrine?"

"Alright, we'll be there soon. Minako out."

Rei shook her head as she turned off the communicator. "She loves that thing too much. She thinks it makes her sound all official. Still, it sounds like things are looking up. Today just keeps getting better and better, huh? Are you ready?"

"Yes." Ami had no words, but Rei could see it in her eyes, a flame of hope that had been missing for too long.


	8. Chapter 8: Heroes of the Stars

**A/N: **And it is finally finished. Many thanks to those who stuck it out with me. I became severely disenchanted with this story and it took me a long time to get back into it, but I hope you find this final chapter to your liking. I'm amazed that it ended pretty much how I intended from the get go, even with a few unexpected twists and turns along the way. As always I appreciate any and all comments and criticisms you may have.

Disclaimer: I'm only borrowing Sailor Moon

* * *

**The Peril Within **by Sunkissed Sapphire

Chapter 8: Heroes of the Stars

It wasn't long after the outer senshi pulled up in Haruka's yellow convertible that Mamoru also arrived with Usagi, Chibi-usa, Minako, and Makoto. There was a brief, if tense moment where Makoto and Haruka locked eyes, but Makoto ignored it and instead went over to where Ami and Rei were waiting at the bottom of the steps, sweeping the small bluenette into a gentle hug. "Are you okay?" she whispered into her ear.

"I'm fine Mako-chan. Everything is fine." She stood on her tip-toes and kissed her on the cheek. "Let's get him back."

Minako cleared her throat loudly to get everyone's attention. "Alright, I know everyone is anxious to go, but let's go inside for a minute. I want Ami to check out what we found to see if it all makes sense and make a plan of attack." The others all nodded and followed her up the steps, except for a small commotion at the back.

"I'm coming too!"

"No, we know that you are a target; you can't come," Usagi said, exasperated.

"But I want to! Kiriko's my friend. And Hotaru's my friend. I'm coming." Chibi-usa was almost in tears as she looked back and forth between Usagi and Hotaru.

"Chibiusa." Mamoru's calm, even tone seemed to calm her down a bit as he kneeled next to her. "Your friends mean a lot to you. But we must believe in Sailor Moon, that she can bring back Kiriko and Hotaru's ethereal pearl. You can help by staying back with me and protecting Hotaru here."

Chibi-usa sniffled. "You're staying too?" Mamoru smiled and nodded at her and she seemed to consider it for a moment. "Okay," she nodded finally.

Meanwhile, inside the shrine Minako, Artemis, and Luna sat down with Ami and caught her up with what they had found: that Ferios and Kadius were not operating from debris from the comet, but rather from the comet itself.

"They are on the comet? But it must be millions of miles away by now. How are they managing it?" Ami asked, confused.

Artemis shook his head. "No, the comet is still here; it's just out of sight."

Ami's mouth opened in surprise as she thought about it. "The moon! They are hiding behind the moon. Clever. Most of our scans cannot penetrate directly through the moon, so they have been virtually invisible."

"Correct," answered Minako. "But I think it's time to surprise them with a visit. The five of us, along with Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna will teleport to the comet and rescue Kiriko. Meanwhile Mamoru, Luna, and Artemis will stay back with Hotaru and Chibi-usa." The two cats nodded in acknowledgement and everyone stood up to go outside.

Out on the porch they met up with the rest of their group. Off to one side Rei, Makoto, and Haruka were speaking in low tones, the three of them falling silent when they noticed the others come out. To Ami's surprise Haruka immediately approached her and asked to speak with her. Ami nodded and let herself be led around the corner of the building where Haruka stopped and turned to face her.

"I wanted to apologize," she said finally, looking quite uncomfortable as she stared at the ground, her eyes flicking back and forth as though from one thought to another, her mouth twitching.

As she stood watching her struggle to find the words, Ami was struck simultaneously by two thoughts: first, that she had never really been alone with the racer before, let alone have a one-on-one conversation with her, and second that this was quite possibly the first time Tenou Haruka had ever admitted she was wrong about something. She debated for a moment which of these was the stranger, maintaining a level gaze at Haruka.

"I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. Rei explained what you two found out this evening…I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions. I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that nothing in this galaxy is ever straightforward, it seems. And I shouldn't have doubted your integrity as a soldier. You've always put Usagi first. I was just a little distraught—"

"I understand," Ami said to her. "She's your daughter, and you were trying to protect her. Thank you for your apology. Now, let's get them back, mm? Hotaru's pearl and my son. Let us fight together for them."

When they made their way back to the front of the porch everyone was transformed and waiting for them. "It is a rare day when Tenou Haruka is the one holding up the group," Neptune said to her partner after she transformed. Uranus gave her a look somewhere between a glare and a scowl that clearly said her lover was kicking her when she was already down. Neptune smiled as she clasped hands with her. "That's okay. You don't usually keep me waiting."

"Ahem," Minako cleared her throat to dispel the awkward silence that followed Neptune's comment. "Is everyone ready?"

They were all standing in a circle, hands clasped, and everyone nodded at Venus except Sailor Moon who was looking at those who were staying behind. "Hotaru, Chibi-usa, Mamo-chan, take care of each other. Luna, Artemis, keep an eye on them." She turned back to the group and nodded.

They each closed their eyes and focused their energy on their destination, their auras glowing around their bodies as they started to defy gravity. They hovered just inches above the ground as their hair and uniforms billowed in a non-existent breeze. Suddenly as a group they took off, hurtling through space at such a speed that all that could be seen was a small sparkling trace of their auras back on the ground in front of the shrine.

…

Mercury thought she had felt her feet slam into the ground. She thought, for an instant, that they had all made it there together, that she could see her circle of friends, her comrades, and the bright light of their energy just starting to dim as they made their destination. But in that same instant it all disappeared.

Instead she opened her eyes and found herself in a room, alone. As Mercury looked around she was immediately reminded of works by M.C. Escher. Staircases crisscrossed through the room in several directions and on different planes. There were multiple doorways in the walls and (ceiling?) that looked like they opened to the outside, but she didn't have a clue how she could reach them. The staircase in front of her seemed to climb up to a blank wall that, if gravity functioned differently, may have served as the landing for another staircase that shot out horizontally from there.

Mercury touched her hand to her ear, activating her visor as she pulled out her computer and began scanning the room for physical or gravitational anomalies. She was surprised when nothing abnormal showed, especially because she could see potted plants and other adornments resting on the walls as they would a bench or pedestal. If they truly existed within the same set of physical rules that were enacting on her, they should have fallen to the floor on her level, unless of course they were glued in place.

Testing that theory, Mercury grabbed a statuette off a pedestal next to her and heaved it at a plant apparently suspended from an upside down staircase above her. She surprised herself by actually hitting her target, which rather than falling onto her, instead fell _up _the staircase. She watched as the vase shattered on one of the steps, spraying dirt all over the stairs exactly as though gravity was pulling upwards, or as though she were suspended from the ceiling and looking down.

She scanned the room again, but again, her computer told her that nothing was out of the ordinary. The only gravitational force was the one acting upon her. Slightly concerned, Mercury put the device away and began climbing the stairs cautiously. She knew she should trust her computer, but her own observations contradicted everything the device told her. She reached the second to last stair and studied the wall in front of her, the wall that was, in reality, just another floor…so it seemed. She took a deep breath and took the final step, expecting the world to suddenly shift.

But it didn't. She looked at the wall again. She pressed her hands against it, kicked it, pleaded with it, but it was still just a wall. A real wave of panic began rising within her. She looked around the room again analyzing each of the staircases, trying to find a way in which she could escape the room. It was hopeless; there was no way for her to reach the exits. She was trapped in a room where all the analyzing and strategizing wouldn't help at all: the physical laws governing the place simply made no sense.

She resorted to her computer, scanning the room over and over again, her fingers flying over the keyboard in a frenzied rush as the helplessness and futility of her situation settled over her.

…

At that moment Sailor Jupiter was also finding herself very trapped. But rather than a large room like Mercury's, Jupiter was in a very small, contained room, with no doors or windows. There was light, but it was very faint and seemed to emanate from the walls themselves. Thinking she'd just blast her way through the wall, she sent a charge of lightning across the space where it collided with the wall, cracking it.

She smiled at her progress and fired another one in the exact same spot, where it widened the crack into a hole, sending debris flying back at her. She dusted herself off and looked at the wall, expecting to see a nice, neat hole she could climb out of. She growled out of irritation. There was a hole, but it did not lead anywhere. It merely disappeared into solid blackness. She shot another ball of lightning, and another, and another. Each of them widened the hole, but simply into nothingness.

Exasperated she pounded her fists into the wall behind her, feeling the rattle and hearing the echo. It seemed just like a normal wall. She changed directions, sending chains of lightning at this wall instead, but it had the same effect. Ignoring the drain she was feeling on her energy, she continued, aiming in different places, in the corners, at the floor. She tried to ignore the fear stealing over her mind as it began to dawn on her that nothing within her ability was going to free her from this room.

…

When Sailor Moon opened her eyes she was not in a room, or even on the comet, from what she could tell. She seemed to be in a lovely meadow with lots of flowers and a small pond. Near the pond she thought she could make out two small children. She walked over to them, greeting them.

"Hi," she said, waving. "I guess I didn't end up where I wanted. Where am I?"

"Nowhere," said the little boy rather nastily.

"I can't be nowhere," Sailor Moon replied, slightly taken aback at the boy's rudeness. "I mean, I'm here in this beautiful meadow. I'm just wondering where this meadow is. Have you seen anyone else? I'm looking for my friends."

This time the little girl spoke up. "You don't have any friends. There isn't such a thing as a friend."

"Sure there is." This was one truth Sailor Moon was sure of. "Friends are the people you care about, the ones you share your hopes and dreams with. They support you. Without friends, the world would be a very dark and lonely place."

"Yeah, well the world is dark and lonely." The boy gestured around and Sailor Moon watched as the life drained out of the meadow. The flowers withered and died and the water drained into nothing, leaving a dark stain in the earth. The light grew dim around them. "Hopes and dreams aren't real anyway."

Sailor Moon was frightened at the sudden change over the place, but she focused on the two kids, shaking her head fervently. "They can be real if you believe in them."

"Huh uh. No. You can't touch them, you can't hold them. They aren't real. " The little girl stood up and moved next to the boy, crossing her arms over her chest.

"That doesn't matter if you believe," Sailor Moon insisted. "Hopes and dreams, love and friendship… they are powerful _because_ you can't see or hold them. No one can take them away from you. It is the strength of our feelings and faith that determines their brightness. They are powerful because they can bring light to the darkness."

As she said this the meadow returned to life, the pond becoming once again full of water that reflected the blue skies above, and the flowers becoming strong and colorful again. The effect continued and the whole meadow hummed with a magical energy that caused everything to vibrate in Sailor Moon's eyes. The colors all swirled together until nothing was distinguishable, even the children, and then it all dissipated, and Sailor Moon found herself standing in a circle with the rest of the senshi.

As Sailor Moon surveyed her friends she could tell all was not well with them. They had all been subject to some kind of illusion and she could see the vestiges of it in their faces: confusion, panic, and defeat.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked cautiously. The others slowly regained their composure and nodded.

"Some kind of illusion, then," Uranus muttered quietly, as though she were still trying to convince herself.

Next to her Mercury closed her computer and turned off her visor. "It just didn't make any sense. It completely defied logic. "

"I don't understand," Mars looked around the circle. "How did we break the illusion?"

"I don't know. One moment I was trapped inside a room, the next I was standing here." Jupiter looked equally bewildered.

Sailor Moon cleared her throat hesitantly. "I think it may have been me." She recounted her illusion to the others.

"That's interesting," Mercury stated when she finished. "Our illusions were somehow defined by the rules by which we define our lives, twisting them so they no longer made sense. But where the rest of us began panicking in the face of our worlds turned upside down, you managed to keep faith in your beliefs."

"What does it mean?" Sailor Moon asked for all of them.

"I don't know. But I think it is safe to assume that if we fail, everyone on Earth will be subject to similar illusions. And I don't think it will stop there."

"What does _that_ mean?"

Mercury returned Jupiter's gaze. "Well, it would only be a matter of time before the illusion of panic and chaos gave way to _real_ panic."

"We can't let that happen. It has to end here." Venus' expression was resolute. "Mercury, can you find their base? I think it is safe to say it is around here somewhere."

Mercury took in their surroundings for the first time since arriving before turning her visor back on. They were standing in a desolate field of craters with tall barren formations silhouetted by the brilliant expanse of the moon. Moments later she led the rest of them as they wound their way through the landscape. It wasn't long before she found what they were looking for: a gaping tunnel delving down into the bowels of the comet.

"Good work Mercury," Venus said with a reassuring nod. "Let's go."

The tunnel felt cavernous though it was only wide enough for them to walk two abreast as they descended down never-ending stairs carved into the rock. A dim light emanated from horizontal lines of crystals on either side of them. It seemed to Mercury they were miles under the surface by the time the passage way leveled out. All was silent and still, which left her unnerved. She thought they would have encountered some resistance by now. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind when she heard a cry and muffled shout from behind her. She turned around to see everyone staring at a section of wall.

"What happened?"

"They just disappeared into the wall, like it reached out and swallowed them." The blood drained from her face as Mercury realized that Sailor Moon, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune were missing from the group. She quickly scanned the section of wall but found nothing that suggested it was anything other than solid rock.

Venus took the lead. "They'll be fine. They're together. We need to find Ferios and stop him." Slowly, they all turned and followed her onward.

It wasn't long before the tunnel opened into a cavern so large that the luminescent crystals surrounding the perimeter alone could not have penetrated the darkness of the center. But the senshi could see well enough, thanks to an unnatural storm cloud that churned above them near the ceiling. Like the storm two months before that preceded Ferios' arrival, the clouds were dark, emanating a violet hue while lightning forked its way across. The air was thick with the metallic taste of rain and the overburdened clouds sagged heavily above them, threatening to flood the room with water.

Across the room, a pale, thin young man could be seen, his striking orange eyes glancing warily at the storm clouds churning above him before focusing on the intruders. "You think you can stop us, but it's not going to happen."

Sailor Venus stepped forward in the absence of Sailor Moon and addressed him. "Kiriko, you don't have to fight for him. You have a home, and you have people who care about you. Come back to us."

"Your pleading is useless. My father and I are creating a world so much more than anything you could offer Kiriko. Besides, that boy is no more." He sent an attack toward her, scattering the senshi who quickly realized they would be doing this the hard way.

Though they outnumbered him four to one, the senshi struggled from the beginning to gain the upper hand in the battle. Mercury, for one, could not bring herself to strike her own son and instead used her attacks to intercept those from Kadius. As for the rest of the senshi, none of them had forgotten Kiriko's singed and smoking body after their last fight and they feared accidently combining their attacks.

Still, as the battle raged on it became obvious that Kadius was slipping. After jumping nimbly out of the way of one of Kadius' wild attacks, Mars yelled to the others, "Just keep pressing on! We'll wear him out." She sent a flaming arrow toward him that exploded at his feet, causing him to stumble back.

On the other side of the room Mercury grew heartened with the plan. Perhaps they wouldn't have to strike him at all. If they could push him to the point of exhaustion, perhaps that would be enough for Sailor Moon to bring him back. Then Mercury's face fell as she remembered that Sailor Moon wasn't even with them.

Another body colliding with hers brought Mercury back to the present battle. She picked herself up off the ground and noticed Pluto doing the same a few meters away. Pluto must have seen the look of confusion on her face and replied, "Watch out for the lightning."

Mercury looked around and realized that the storm clouds that had before hovered above them had now settled lower into the room, forcing them to fight doubled over out of the thick swirling clouds that would obscure their vision. The lightning still forked through the clouds, and while it was slow enough to be easily avoided (if you were paying attention), it did not dissipate and instead created a tangled web of black energy that hampered their movement.

Mercury nodded a thank you to Pluto and ducked her head out of the fog, scanning for Kadius. She found him fifteen meters away being pushed back by relentless, alternating attacks from Venus and Mars. Eventually he found an opening in their attacks and used it to launch himself into the clouds, disappearing from view.

The senshi could all be seen ducking down, searching for him in the closing gap between the clouds and the ground. Mercury thought she saw a flash of pink out of the corner of her eye but did not see anything when she looked again. Then the unmistakable voice of Tuxedo Kamen reached her ears over the low rumbling. "Chibi-usa!"

Mercury stopped looking for Kadius and instead searched for the miniature princess, not stopping to wonder why she was there. She caught sight of her on her hands and knees, making her way to the far end of the cavern toward a heavy metal door. Mercury's throat tightened when she saw Kadius only meters away from Chibi-usa, staring at her with a sinister grin spreading across his face.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Without a second thought Mercury froze Kadius in place before he had a chance to act.

Chibi-usa turned around, unaware of the danger she had been in until she saw Kadius behind her growling in frustration as he struggled to break his arms free of their icy imprisonment. But the ice held. Meanwhile Tuxedo Kamen climbed through the web of lightning in an agonizingly slow attempt to reach Chibi-usa. "Chibi-usa, come back here where it is safe. We don't know how long that ice will hold."

Chibi-usa ignored him and instead moved closer to Kadius, who watched her with a wary eye. "I know you wouldn't hurt me Kiriko." He stopped struggling at the sound of her voice. "And I know you wouldn't let Kadius hurt me. All those times we were playing alone, you could have attacked me. But you didn't. Just like you wouldn't attack Takeo. You have a good heart Kiriko."

"I have no heart!" Kadius screamed wildly. "That boy is gone." Again he tore his eyes to the clouds churning above and around him.

"You do have a heart. You have Kiriko's heart, and it is winning. He will always win in the end because his friendship and hope give him the strength to fight against you. Come back to us Kiriko. You have friends on Earth. You have a home. What world can be better than that?"

An explosion in front of her blew apart the ice that encased Kadius, a bright light that cut through the clouds, filling every crack and crevice in the cavernous room. When the light subsided they could all see a body kneeling on the ground through a thick haze that had replaced the clouds. Tuxedo Kamen had finally reached Chibi-usa and was now pulling her away, the spider web of lightning having disappeared in the explosion. Meanwhile the other senshi grouped together and tried to penetrate the haze to see what was happening.

Kadius' voice echoed through the fog. "You won't win! You don't deserve this body."

A small voice broke through, responding to him. "I didn't mean to hurt those people. I didn't want to." Kiriko's consciousness seemed to have fought its way to the surface.

But Kadius regained control. "But you did hurt them. It was all your fault."

"No! I tried to stop him. I tried…I don't want to hurt anyone else. I WON'T LET YOU!" Kiriko collapsed completely onto the ground, unmoving.

Mercury's heart wrenched at the sound of Kiriko's voice. He was battling for control, but she wasn't sure he was winning. If only Sailor Moon was with them with the Silver Crystal. She could end it right here and now. Not for the first time she found herself pleading with the guardian of her power for some way to solve the situation. _Mercury, show me the way to bring him back. Give me the strength, give me the power. We cannot wait for Sailor Moon and the Silver Crystal. _She squeezed her eyes against the tears that threatened to fall in the face of their failure.

She didn't need the audible gasp from the senshi to know something was happening. She could feel it within herself, a warm light that filled her from the inside out, bursting from the symbol of Mercury that usually lay dormant on her forehead. A separate consciousness seemed to take up residence in her mind, almost as though someone was sharing her body.

She opened her eyes and knew instantly the changes that had come over her. She was taller, thinner; her hands long and her eyes wide. She was dressed in an elegant, pale blue gown with sleeves that hung to her elbows and a silver circlet adorned her head. She was no longer Ami, but Princess of Mercury, radiating confidence, dignity, and an awesome power more than anything Ami had ever known herself to possess. She could feel it in her veins to the tips of her fingers, to the tips of her toes, and beyond, as though she was drawing energy from the cosmos directly.

With a sweep of her hand the mist filling the room dissipated and she could see plainly the small boy collapsed on the ground as she strode toward him. It seemed his physical form had taken that of her son, although he had not quite defeated Kadius' presence within him. She knelt beside him, her heart wrenching at the contorted expression on his face caught somewhere between pain and concentration. She brushed his hair out of his face, smoothing the lines in his forehead with her thumb.

"Mercadian, my son. The evil that has held your mind will never master your heart, and that is where the true spirit resides. You've been so brave, and so strong. It is time to come back to us Mercadian." The use of his true name caused him to stir and his eyes fluttered open.

"Mother." His face broke into a wide smile and tears streamed from his eyes. "Mother, I knew you would come for me."

Ami could feel her transformation into her past self quickly wane as her son regained strength. "There is much to explain Mercadian."

The pair got to their feet and headed for the rest of the group who were waiting with bated breath in the center of the room. When they saw Kiriko was up and walking, their relief was evident.

"Kiriko."

"Kiriko-kun."

"It's so good to—"

The air around them was rent with a strangled maniacal laughter. "Fine. Fine. So you've unblocked his memories. The boy was useless from the start." They turned to find Ferios standing behind them, looking strangely triumphant given his loss. "Nevermind him. He wasn't fit to be my son. I have what I want now anyway. I think I'll just sit back and enjoy the show."

He jumped high into the air and disappeared, leaving behind a curled mass of white and pink just behind where he had stood.

"Chibi-moon!"

"Oh no." Ami, whose form had reverted back to Sailor Mercury followed Venus and the others as they ran toward her. Chibi-usa had lost her transformation but was coming to when they reached her.

Kiriko squeezed past the others to kneel next to her, recognizing his friend. "Chibi-usa. I'm sorry. You were right. I wouldn't let Kadius take your pearl, but I couldn't protect you either."

Chibi-usa shook her head. "It wasn't your fault Kiriko. I'll be okay."

Mercury pulled Kiriko aside at this point. "What all do you remember Mercadian?"

"A lot. Everything is kind of jumbled. I remember my past as Mercadian. And I remember bits and pieces from when Kadius took over me. But I also remember another life, where I am known as Kiriko. But then, all of you also called me Kiriko…" He looked around at the senshi and understood suddenly. He looked back at Mercury. "You are Ami."

"Yes. I am the reincarnation of your mother from the Silver Millennium. Thousands of years have passed since then. When we first found you I did not know you were my son, but then my memories from the past started returning. Like you, I also have memories from three different lives: that of the Silver Millennium when I was a princess, the present where I am Ami, and my form as Sailor Mercury."

Kiriko nodded. "I understand." They turned their attention back to the other senshi. Chibi-usa was standing, clutched onto Tuxedo Kamen for support.

"Small Lady, why are you here? How did you get here?" Pluto asked the questions everyone else had forgotten.

"I was trying to save Hotaru! Where is she? Did you see her?"

The senshi exchanged looks of confusion and concern. "We never saw Hotaru. She was supposed to have stayed at the shrine with you. Why would she have come?"

"She was abducted! Mamo-chan told me he had cookies in the car and I went out to get some, but when I came back Hotaru was gone. Instead there was a dark tunnel that opened in the middle of the room and I knew she had been taken through it, so I followed her."

The senshi looked at Tuxedo Kamen. "Chibi-usa ran into the portal before I could stop her, so I followed. Did you get separated from the others? We should look for them at once, and Hotaru."

A tremor suddenly shook the ground violently beneath them. A great rumbling noise that seemed to emanate from the heart of the comet itself filled their ears. Mercury found herself stumbling sideways into Pluto. Chibi-usa, who was still unsteady on her feet, collapsed entirely. Even the other senshi had a hard time keeping their ground as the earth quaked around them.

And the trembling did not stop. Venus yelled above the noise. "What's happening?"

None of them had an answer, save for Kiriko, who had to shout to make himself heard. "Chibi-usa's was the last. Ferios has started it. He's releasing the cauldron."

At that moment the door they stood in front of was thrown open, revealing Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Sailor Moon, and Hotaru.

"Great, we're all here. We have to get out, before the place crumbles apart!" Mars threw a glance back toward the way they had come. It would only be moments before the room began caving in.

"No, we have to stop it. We can't let him release that power toward Earth," Mercury pleaded.

"Stop what?"

Venus answered the questioning look on Uranus' face. "The Cauldron of Unknown. Kiriko says Ferios is summoning it now."

Mercury turned to Kiriko once again. "How can we stop it Mercadian, do you know?"

The boy shook his head. "I don't know. I don't think you can."

"Let's figure it out on top. We'll get buried alive down here if we don't move it." Mars turned on her heel and headed for the tunnel leading out. Already large pieces of rock were falling from the ceiling and she kept her eyes up as she picked up speed and ran to the other side. The others followed, dodging the falling rock. They didn't slow down when they reached the tunnel but continued until they were back on the surface of the comet. It was quieter up there, and calmer.

"So what's going on, Kiriko, do you know?" Kiriko paled in front of the eleven sets of eyes staring at him expectantly. He closed his eyes and scrunched his forehead in concentration.

"The comet is the Cauldron. Ferios needed ethereal pearls to start it. When he got them all, the energy would mix with the comet and would create a wave of darkness. The darkness would cover the Earth and make people crazy. Cha—Chaotic, he said. He likes chaos." He opened his eyes again and looked at them fearfully.

Jupiter kneeled down in front of him, taking his hands in hers. "It's okay Kiriko. Thank you. That all really helps. But do you know how to stop it?"

"I—I don't know. It has already started. The comet is already turning into the Cauldron." No sooner had the words left his mouth that the ground beneath them began to tremble once more, breaking apart with a great rumbling roar.

Mercury pulled Kiriko into her, placing one hand protectively over his chest while the other fiddled with her earrings, changing the display on her visor. "Mercadian is right. The core of the comet seems to be reacting with the power of the Ethereal Pearls, creating a dense pocket of dark energy in the center. That pocket is causing the comet to implode and as the energy combines with more material from the comet it will grow and become denser. Once it reaches a point of maximum density the core will explode outward like a supernova toward Earth. It is a chain reaction that has already begun. Our attacks are useless against it."

"How long do we have?" asked Venus.

"I can't be sure. Minutes perhaps." Even as she said it a gaping hole opened in front of their feet, revealing a swirling blend of molten rock and dark energy far below them in the very center of the comet. They jumped back as the ground crumbled away beneath their feet, falling down into the rising mass that grew darker and denser by the moment.

Sailor Moon broke away from the group and moved back toward the edge with the Silver Crystal in hand.

"Sailor Moon, don't! There isn't a way to stop it. If you try…you'll die."

"What other choice is there?"

The others stood silently and all nodded one by one. They drew hope from the powerful light already streaming from the crystal she held above her head. Then Ferios appeared in the air in front of her.

She spoke to him through the light. "You can stop this, Ferios. Just think about what you are doing, think about all the lives you are going to destroy."

"There is no stopping it now, and even if there was, I wouldn't. I swore I would have my revenge on Sailor Mercury when she humiliated me on her planet before. I have waited on this comet for millennia, hoping with every pass, every seven years, that she would have reawakened so I could return the favor."

"We will not allow you to take Earth, or any part of this galaxy, Ferios, but I am offering you the chance to leave now peacefully."

"You can't stop me!" he yelled, enraged. "Earth is mine. The galaxy is mine!"

Jupiter and Mars moved first to shield Sailor Moon but they were too slow. Ferios shot a stream of black energy straight toward the Silver Crystal. The light emanating from the crystal tightened into a beam, intercepting his attack and slowly pushing the energy backward. Surprised, Ferios strengthened his attack, straining with the effort of holding the crystal's light at bay. Bit by bit dark gave way to light until it exploded in his outstretched hands, the force throwing him backwards into the vortex where he disappeared into the roiling mixture.

Sailor Moon did not waver and continued pouring herself into the crystal even as the comet fell apart beneath their feet, the ground itself being consumed into energy. Mercury stared at the disappearing ground, clutching Kiriko against her, knowing full well what she needed to do. She knelt down and spoke in her son's ear. "Give her your power Mercadian." Then she squeezed her eyes closed and willed all of her energy into the Silver Crystal.

The cataclysm roared around her but she was only partly aware of the physical world. She was concentrating all her energy and focus into that tiny little sphere that was their last hope. The light steadily grew, radiating all around them. She could feel it piercing her eyelids, maybe even through her body as they all fought to overcome the unstoppable power approaching them.

Mercury didn't know how much more she had to give. She felt her power waning. The warm light that enveloped her was shrinking away. And then she thought she felt the whisper of a wind wash over, or perhaps a million tiny butterflies, the tips of their wings scarcely brushing her skin as they fluttered by.

And then she was falling, falling…

…

"I still don't get how we managed it," Usagi insisted, stretching out on the park bench. It was one week after their narrow escape from the comet. In fact, none of them actually remembered how they made it home. The first thing they were aware of after they returned was two anxious cats watching over them, telling them they'd been unconscious for hours.

Rei shrugged. "Who cares? You stopped it. Let's just be thankful."

"But I didn't stop it. It blew right past us. I turned around and watched it as it headed straight for the earth."

"Maybe we didn't need to stop it.," Ami said quietly, gazing out toward the lake and the pier. Everyone looked at her and she turned to face them. "Sailor Moon just changed it into something better."

"But you were the one saying it was going to cause absolute chaos," Rei pointed out.

"And it would have, under the direction of Ferios. Indescribable, unstoppable panic. Remember the illusions we all faced when we first landed? Usagi was the only one who could throw it off, and it was because she didn't fear the unknown. For Usagi, and I suppose for a lot of people, the 'unknown' is what allows us to dream about the future. Not knowing exactly what is going to happen gives us the ability to have hope."

"And hope is stronger than certainty," Venus added wisely.

"Yes. The unknown is as much a source of hope and inspiration as it is of fear and panic, and so when Usagi infused the Cauldron with the light of the Silver Crystal, it changed to a positive energy."

"You know, now that you mention it, it seems that people have been generally happier lately. Maybe you are right."

Ami gave a small brief smile and focused once again on the pier until a trio of approaching voices pulled at her attention. She glanced down the path and saw Makoto walking toward them with Kiriko and Chibi-usa.

Thankfully there had been no lasting effect on Chibi-usa after her pearl was taken on the comet. She and Hotaru could both transform again. Minako had confirmed their suspicions when she came back from work one day after working with Takeo: everyone's pearls must have returned to their bodies when the comet released its power.

"—learned more kanji today in school. I bet I know more than Usagi now."

"I bet you do. How about you Kiriko, did you learn anything fun today?"

"Yes. But I spent most of the day working on something else." He had reached the bench where Ami and the others were grouped and set down his backpack. After a minute or so of digging through it he pulled out a drawing to show them. It was a picture of himself standing with the Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen under a starry sky. On the back of it in neat writing he had written _"For the people who care about me most. Don't forget me. –Kiriko."_

"Oh Kiriko, we'd never forget you," Usagi fussed.

Makoto pulled Ami away from the others toward the end of the pier. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?

"It's the only way. He needs a stable life, and I can't offer him that right now. And besides, he is used to a world so different from this one. He'll be happier in Crystal Tokyo, and I'll be there waiting for him when he gets there."

"Yes, but _you_ won't be able to see him for maybe a thousand years or more."

"Oh Mako-chan, don't make this harder than it already is." Ami buried her head into Makoto's shoulder for a moment, trying not to break down in tears. After she regained her composure she straightened up again, looking back at the group. "I have to do what is best for him. And it isn't like I won't ever see him again…It will just be a very long time. Perhaps by that time I will have all my memories and I can be the mother he remembers."

"I think he'll be happy just to be with you again. And hey, who knows? There's no saying he won't come back and visit occasionally."

"You are right. Who knows?" Ami forced a smile and let Makoto pull her into a comforting hug. She looked up and watched her friends finish saying goodbye to her son.

"You behave now, Kiriko-kun. Don't let Chibi-usa drag you into her antics," Usagi warned, wagging her finger at him with a wink. "I'm a much stricter person in the future."

"Oh, don't listen to her. We'll make sure she doesn't keep you from having fun." Minako pulled him into a brief hug, smiling at Rei.

"Take care of yourself Kiriko. We'll all miss you."

"I'll miss you too Rei-chan." He looked at each of them in turn before glancing toward Makoto and Ami. Rei gave him an encouraging push and he walked slowly toward them.

Makoto knelt down first. "I'm going to miss you kiddo. You're a good kid."

He frowned. "I'll miss you too Mako-chan."

"Nah. You won't even notice the difference. We'll all be there."

He stared at the ground and shook his head. "But it _will_ be different."

"You're right," she said, lifting his chin up. "But that doesn't have to be a bad thing." With that she pulled him into a tremendous hug. "I'm glad you were able to stay with me and keep me company the last couple of months. Maybe when you get to Crystal Tokyo you and I can keep up our karate lessons."

"I would like that."

"Me too." Makoto looked up at Ami and stood, squeezing Kiriko's shoulder before walking over to the rest of the group where they were saying goodbye to Chibi-usa.

After Makoto walked off Ami knelt down and held onto her son's hands, looking into his deep gray eyes. "Mercadian."

"Mother." He stared back into her eyes, not blinking.

"You are so strong. And I am so proud of you."

He gave a small smile then tilted his head up into the sky. "Will we ever get to go home?"

"No son. Everything was destroyed at the end of the Silver Millennium. But I promise you will like your new home. You'll be with Chibi-usa and all of us will be waiting for you when you get there."

"You'll be waiting for me?"

"I sure will. We'll be together, and we can be a family."

"But what about you? You have to wait a long time to see me again."

"You are right. I have to wait a very long time. And I will miss you every day from now until then." She wrapped her arms and held him for a long time. Knowing she was only putting off the inevitable, she released him, realizing her composure was slipping again. "Hurry up now Mercadian. My future self has waited hundreds and hundreds of years to see you again. You don't want to make your mother wait any longer, do you?"

He shook his head and blinked the tears out of his eyes. "No."

Chibi-usa came up and took his hand, smiling at Ami.

"You two take care of each other. It was good seeing you again Chibi-usa." Ami retreated a few steps back, rejoining the group. Minako slipped Kiriko's drawing into her hand with a reassuring smile.

"Bye Chibi-usa! Bye Kiriko"

"Bye everyone!" Chibi-usa and Kiriko raised their hands and waved, as did the senshi in a final salute as Chibi-usa raised the Time Key in the air. She called to Chronos and an instant later the pair was gone, leaving nothing but the faintest trace of blue and pink in the air where they had been standing only moments before.

Ami wiped her eyes and looked again at the drawing Kiriko had given them. He had drawn himself in the middle, holding hands with both Mercury and Jupiter. Even Luna and Artemis were in the picture, situated in front of his feet. She flipped it over and read the caption again, this time noticing another note at the bottom of the page.

"_The stars show the heroes of old tales, but mine aren't so far away. Even after I leave I'll still be in the same place and I'll watch the same stars as you."_


End file.
